Vulture
by TheDepraved
Summary: Vulture, a powerful Deadman known for devouring the hearts of his opponents, takes a particular interest in a certain other Deadman: Crow. Though divided into two distinctive personalities - the insane showman, and his long hidden true self - he will do whatever it takes to obtain all that he desires. MALE OC/Crow Rated M for language, excessive violence, and yaoi content!
1. The Battle of Madness

**A/N: (means Author's Note for those'a you who don't know!) So... recently been watching Deadman Wonderland - many thanks to Hulu - and I absolutely LOVE it! So many sadistic freaks! So much violence! Though the anime has a ton of moments where all is reduced to a black screen as people are talking or even fighting which really kills the scene. Only down side.**

**But I digress. My brain couldn't get off of multiple ideas for other characters, and so I decided to share! It may just be this one since he's been my favorite, or depending on how things go I may just do the rest later. Flamingo, Cardinal, Phoenix... But for today? Vulture vs Crow! (Set a good bit before the anime/manga's start.)**

**Italics mark a character's thoughts, and from this point on, "Bold" shall count for the commentator's remarks in the soon-to-start battle.**

* * *

Vulture.

Among birds, it is a lowly scavenger that feasts on the corpses of the dead. Among Deadmans, he is a fierce combatant with an insatiable thirst for strengthening his incredible power by devouring the hearts of his opponents. Often proclaimed as one of the deadliest of Deadmans with the highest kill ratio and a perfect winning streak, Vulture had gained an almost cult-like following over his first year in captivity. Already over a dozen Deadmans had fallen to Vulture, their deaths confirmed on stage as he ripped the still-beating hearts from their chests and ate the living tissue in front of his prey as they slowly died. Seventeen battles, sixteen kills, and only one battle where both combatants walked away with his life. That battle, was with Crow.

Vulture never could pinpoint exactly what had compelled him to spare Crow's life; it had come as a shock to everyone from the Promoter, to the fans, to Crow, and even to Vulture himself. Had it been an act of mercy..? Doubtful. Vulture had no mercy: from unlucky kids who would snivel and beg for their lives to hardened brutes who would simply glare at him and die with their pride intact, Vulture took pleasure in every kill. Perhaps, then, he just wasn't hungry..? Even more doubtful. Despite his inexperience - having only been in three battles before - Crow had been a wonderful opponent, like a diamond in the rough just waiting to polish his raw talent; Vulture had been so thrilled he had found it a challenge to keep himself from salivating. So much power... he could never deny such a meal. So why, why, **WHY** did he let the man go?

An incessant clicking noise echoed through G-block as Vulture continued to ponder over this dilemma, the sound caused by sharpened nails - at times referred to by others as 'talons'- tapping at equally sharpened teeth. This was a common occurrence when Vulture lost himself to his thoughts, which, lucky for the rest, was not all too often. Usually his mind was set to simpler focuses, such as strengthening his abilities.

It took an unfathomable amount of control for Vulture's Branch of Sin: Bloodwire. Using his talons he would just barely prick all ten of his fingertips, and from each prick he would force out a line of blood, as thin and flexible as a single strand of hair and as durable as folded steel. Even he had trouble visually seeing the lines of Bloodwire as they crisscrossed the battlefield, but unlike his opponents Vulture had the advantage of _feeling_ their locations. Practice was necessary, and he was still miles away from reducing the width of his wires to a cellular level. That was his goal: a technique so sharp it could split his prey to pieces cell by cell, the cleanest of cuts imaginable! The thought alone was enough to make him laugh - a deep, sinister cackle that started soft but reached a quick crescendo and grew loud, almost obnoxious, until a voice from elsewhere interrupted him with an annoyed, "Shut up!"

"Tch..." Vulture scoffed, "Some people have no respect for the twisted amusement of others." Again he laughed, though this time it was shortlived as his thoughts backtracked. Crow. Vulture had faced and killed five other opponents since he spared Crow's life, and now it seemed they were in for a rematch. The clicking sound resumed. What would happen this time around? Would he kill Crow? Or would he again find himself unable - no, _unwilling - _to finish him off? It wasn't that he couldn't do it the last time around; he just decided that he didn't want to, even if he couldn't figure out why. Maybe he was just saving Crow for later? After all Crow's talents were impressive, but rough and unrefined. Perhaps the cannibal in him had thought it too soon to partake? "That answer will have to suffice," Vulture voiced as he took a glance at the clock with a twisted grin, "Ten minutes til show time!"

Eager, Vulture rose from his perch and briefly scanned himself over. Draped around his body was a loose black cloak stained with blood that covered everything except his hands and his head, and proudly set on his crown was a matching top hat, distinctively set to tilt to the left which gave its owner the proper appearance of a madman. Inexplicably straight hair cascaded from all sides of the off-center top hat like liquid silver, pouring down his back and shrouding his face with long strands of natural greyish-white hair, and his glinting eyes peered between the stands like two turquoise orbs. Vulture would never reveal his age to anyone, but there were guesses of numbers ranging from the 30's and all the way up to 72 years; funny how every one of them had been wrong. With a final inspection of his infamous talons Vulture was prepared; all that was left was to be taken to the stage... For now, he would simply let his mind drift.

"**Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you for coming to... Carnival Corpse! The battle between deadmans, Carnival Corpse! The rules for this battle are the same as usual! The battle will continue until one side can no longer fight, or dies! Tonight we have a special rematch between the devourer of life, Vulture, and the only deadman to walk away from him alive, the man with the black claws, Crow!"**

The announcements finally clicked Vulture's mind back to focus, and with a subtle, maddened cackle he stepped out of the starting cage and into the ring. "Khehehehehehehehh... Been a while, hasn't it, Crow?" Vulture called out to his opponent with a wily grin visible through the part in his silvery hair, "I hope you've spent your time wisely and improved for me since I let you live."

Crow answered with an unamused glare and prepared himself in silence, releasing his blood and forging the vital liquid into two powerful blades that extended from his forearms.

"Oh? No pleasantries for me?" Vulture's grin faded, and was soon replaced with a visible pout, "No hello? No how've you been? Not even a 'fuck you' to say to me?"

"Fuck you."

Vulture was momentarily taken aback, and he pushed his bangs aside enough to reveal the extent of his hurt feelings; rather than pouting he was now outright frowning with his bright blue eyes glossy and his shoulders slumped down. He had never expected an actual 'fuck you,' but there it was. "So cruel, Crow," Vulture said tearfully, "But I guess it can't be helped." His maddened grin returned, spreading wide across his lips and showing off his sharpened teeth as he pricked all of his fingers in two easy motions: first pricking the left fingers with the nails from the right hand, and then switching the process to prick the right fingers as well. "We'll just see how you feel after the match is over!" Blood oozed from the tiny wounds to form thin lines, all ten stretching out and coiling into small piles on the ground in mock pools; to those unfamiliar with Vulture's Branch of Sin it simply appeared that he was bleeding out rather than forming deadly weapons, but Crow knew better.

"**Deadmans Ready? Let the match begin!"**

With the simple flick of his wrists Vulture's Bloodwire spread throughout the ring in all directions, forming a dangerous surrounding web but leaving him completely open as he spread his arms out wide. This stance had caused the downfall of many combatants, and on their first fight even Crow had rushed in to attack only to be caught in the Bloodwire trap.

"Still the same trick? Maybe you're the one who needs to improve," Crow mocked as he stood his ground. He wouldn't charge in, not this time.

"**It appears that Vulture's signature starting move has failed!"**

"Oh but I have improved!" Vulture replied excitedly and used his index finger to point over Crow's shoulder, and wiggled his finger to make the near-invisible Bloodwire gleam from the overhead lighting. The glinting trail of blood hovered in midair, crisscrossing a few times across the ring and stretching well behind Crow, with the Bloodwire's barbed end dancing behind him as it swayed back and forth.

Crow's eyes went wide as he followed the Bloodwire's path; it seemed that Vulture's attack range had nearly doubled since their last fight, and now that Crow knew that there was something behind him he could practically hear the subtle whipping sound as the wire moved. His body moved instinctively as he anticipated an attack, and he slashed his blade out in the sound's direction as he turned around and darted backwards, but his counterstrike missed; there were no incoming attacks to begin with. The Bloodwire was several feet away, still swaying back and forth as if it was... waving? It made no sense, and unintentionally Crow fell out of his fighting stance and spouted, "Huh!?"

Vulture laughed wildly as another Bloodwir - this one formed of three combined coils - wrapped itself around Crow's ankles from behind and lifted him into the air and held him to hang upsidedown and sway side to side. "You should've waved back," Vulture said in a reprimanding tone, like a parent scolding a child for misbehavior.

"**What's this?! It appears that Vulture is PLAYING with Crow!"**

Crow glowered from his disadvantageous position, aggravated that he had fallen for such a cheap trick. "You bastard!" he growled fiercely and tried to squirm free, but the more he squirmed the more random the coil's moving became.

"Wave. To. The Bloodwire," Vulture hissed, his turquoise eyes bright with maddened rage as he glared back at the helpless Crow. All he wanted was a simple greeting from Crow, the only Deadman who had ever been given the chance for a rematch.

"What!? You've gotta be shitting me!" Crow responded indignantly and tried desperately to slice the bindings with his Crow Claw, but no matter how many times the blades hit, the wire refused to break.

Vulture folded his arms over his chest, pulling each Bloodwire taut in the process and causing the snare to dig into Crow's thick boots. As if being impatient he tapped his index finger against his arm, causing the waving Bloodwire to sway to and fro right in front of Crow's face. "Wave," Vulture demanded, "And I'll forgive you for the rudeness earlier."

"Che," Crow scoffed defiantly and struggled against his tightened bindings, blowing the waving line of blood from his eyes and using his perfectly sculpted muscles to lean up from his inverted position and slashing his blades against the Bloodwire holding him. This time the wire escaped his strike, swishing out of the way and causing Crow to jolt in midair and fall back.

"Fine!" Vulture yelled, aggravated that Crow had refused to cooperate with such a simple task, "I'll just find a way to make you apologize then!"

"**It seems Vulture's patience is wearing thin!"**

The waving Bloodwire ceased abruptly, barbed tip turning to face Crow as if staring him down, and with a sharp cracking sound the wire struck across Crow's cheek, slicing a wound as thin as a papercut that appeared to draw no blood. Vulture slowly stepped forward with his arms still crossed and his head fully tilted to the side, grinning sinisterly as his movements shifted the alignment of each and every Bloodwire. It was like walking through a moving spiderweb, and just as the spider knows the design of its sticky spindles, Vulture knew the change in every line as he calmly approached his prey.

"**Could it be?! Vulture is already closing in!"**

Crow's entire body tensed. Vulture was known for keeping a distance, tearing his opponents to pieces from afar and ensuring that he was surrounded in snares and traps to keep it that way; the only time he would come close was for his finisher - eating the other deadmans' hearts. _"Shit..! I can't believe I fell for such a cheap trick!" _Crow was absolutely furious with himself, but fury was often a good drive for determination,_"I ain't going down without a fight!" _

The very instant that Vulture came into range Crow slashed at him, but by simply bending his knees to lower his elevation Vulture dodged the strike. He rose with his index finger wagging side to side, both to scold Crow and to bind the man's arms behind his back with the Bloodwire. "Naughty boy," Vulture taunted as he leaned in closer, a wide and deviant smirk lining his lips as he stood face to upsidedown face with Crow, "But worry not; I'm only getting a little taste."

"Like Hell you are!" Crow seethed, writhing as he tried to free himself from the bindings around his wrists. How could those thin little lines of blood be so damn strong!?

"**Is this an early end to tonight's Carnival Corpse!?"**

Vulture ran his tongue over his own lips in anticipation as he counted down, "Three... two... one!"

Crow flinched, expecting to have his heart ripped out at that very instant, but instead he only felt warm, thick blood break through the skin on his cheek and drip down - or, up rather, considering that he was still being held upsidedown and thus gravity pulled the blood down towards the top of his head. What followed made Crow flinch yet again.

"**Wait... what's going on?"**

Even the announcer was confused as Vulture raked his talons through Crow's spiky hair and roughly tugged on it.

"H-hey, just what do you think you're doing!?" Crow was far from his comfort zone at the moment; he was practically being molested! And the depraved, starving look in Vulture's eyes certainly wasn't helping! "Let me go!" he commanded, though he was in no position to make such demands.

Vulture grinned widely at his prey and slipped his tongue over his sharpened teeth. "Just a taste, and I'll let you go," he proclaimed seriously as he locked eyes with Crow, "But I still want an apology from you later. Now hold still!" Using his grip on Crow's hair Vulture forced his head to turn, leaving the bleeding cheek to face him. Slowly Vulture leaned in closer, and with one long lick he lapped the blood from Crow's face, "Hmm... not bad... In fact I'd even say you taste pretty good."

"**Vulture has literally gotten a taste for Crow's blood!"**

Crow was mortified; his face turned a deep red and he felt a shiver run down his spine - or up in this case. Though unwarranted, the feeling was strangely arousing; it was sickening, almost frightening to Crow that he had enjoyed it, just as all things of sexual nature were: women in indecent clothing, being touched in indecent regions, and in this case being licked on the face by a man who Crow was pretty sure was insane. "B-bastard!" Crow growled, "That's dangerous!"

"Oh, shush," Vulture completely disregarded his opponent's discomfort. Dangerous? Living was dangerous in this place. "Now before we resume our little match I've three words of advice for you!" Vulture beamed, the taste of blood seemingly reversing his mood from angered to excited, "Den. Sih. Tee."

"Density?" Crow repeated, though still furious and ready to bash the freak's skull in. "The Hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Uh-uh, I shall say no more," Vulture replied and pouted at him again, "Maybe if you'd been a little nicer to me I'd've given you more of a hint." After a final, brief lick of fresh blood Vulture backed up a few meters, and with a wave of his hands he carefully set Crow back down on his feet. "Now let's have some fun, hm?" Vulture continued with a twisted grin, his voice down to a deep, rumbling murmur.

"S-stop talking like that!" Crow's entire flow was off after his undesired encounter with Vulture's tongue. He had to focus. He had to completely ignore what had just happened and fight!

"**It seems the fight is finally getting started!"**

Vulture looked on appraisingly as Crow entered his fighting stance. From the first time he had gotten a glimpse of Crow - a rather nice glimpse of him panting and coated in sweat after a long day of working out - Vulture could tell he was no stranger to a good brawl; but Deadmans are a completely different league of fighters, and mastering supernatural abilities took a lot more than having a trained body. Still, it appeared that Crow had improved after all: his stance now better incorporated the blades on his arms, and after obtaining his first kill against another Deadman he seemed far more confident. All he needed was better control of his Branch of Sin... and what better way to teach him than by example? Vulture weakened his Bloodwire by decreasing the density, and with a twitch of his fingers made the first strike.

It was an easy attack for Crow to dodge - **too** easy, _"Just what the fuck is he doing?"_ The second strike came at him the same: fast enough to **look** serious, but slow enough to be avoided. The third, the fourth, even the fifth incoming strike was easily dodged, and it was starting to severely annoy him, _"Dammit... I feel like I'm being toyed with!"_

Ironically Vulture was getting just as annoyed with Crow; if all he did was dodge he would never understand the concept! But it wasn't like Vulture could simply jump up and say, '_hey, stop dodging and see how weak the Bloodwire is!'_ it'd be too suspicious. This was a fight, a battle, a show! Nobody likes staged shows, those are boring! If he was going to teach Crow how to strengthen his abilities in the ring it had to be subtle... _"Strike faster? Hit his blades on purpose? Corner him?"_ Vulture went over his options carefully but simply couldn't pick only one of them, _"I'll just have to use them all!"_ With a wide grin Vulture increased his rate of attack, his Bloodwire lashing out in two groups of three while the remaining four served to surround Crow in a makeshift netted wall to corner him.

"**Crow has backed himself into a trap!"**

Crow had been so swarmed by attacks he had barely managed to dodge them all, but as his back finally hit the taut lines of the Bloodwire net he knew that dodging was out of the question - he didn't even get the chance to try. Vulture's attacks kept their relentless pace, but rather than striking Crow directly the trio of Bloodwire hit the blades on his arms and broke on impact, the severed ends reforming to liquid blood as they lost their direct connection to Vulture and simply splashing onto Crow's face. _"How the fuck?"_ Crow couldn't believe what had happened. Several times during this match and the first he had tried to break those damned wires but to no avail! Now, without Crow even moving, the Bloodwire lines had cut themselves on his blades. There was no way...

"_He looks confused,"_ Vulture mentally sighed, and with his remaining three offensive Bloodwire he struck the blades once more, _"Ten percent, thirty percent, fifty percent." _

All three Bloodwire struck with a different intensity, the first vaporizing instantly upon impact and the shockwave breaking more than half the line's full length, the second striking with enough force for Crow to feel the impact before the severed end turned back into blood, and the third hitting hard enough to move Crow's arm back and surviving in tact. _"Wait a sec... what was it he said before... Density?"_

"**Vulture's trap has worked against him!"**

"_Look angry, look angry, look angry..!"_ Vulture had to repeat to himself to keep from smirking as he withdrew all ten of the Bloodwire. His trap hadn't worked against him at all, in fact it worked perfectly! He could practically **see **the wheels turning in Crow's head as he started to understand. _"Maybe I should also insult him to show disdain?" _Vulture mused. He couldn't let on that this was intentional, after all, so an insult seemed appropriate. "Bastard!" Vulture hissed lowly, drawing his angered tone entirely on the mild annoyance of having to redisperse the Bloodwire after one had broken in half.

For just a moment Crow began to wonder if Vulture was doing this on purpose, but the sincerity in his tone when calling him a bastard threw the thoughts askew. Crow watched intently as Vulture reformed his Bloodwire, the blood slowly streaming in thin lines out of his fingertips... _"Boney hands..." _It was a sudden and rather strange thought that popped into Crow's mind, and though true, it was currently completely irrelevant. What he should be wondering about is why he was just standing there while Vulture was obviously wide open!

"**Crow is finally making a move!"**

Vulture hadn't quite expected that Crow would gain the confidence to charge in so soon, but lucky for Vulture he had learned to use his Bloodwire while forging them - to a point. Ten still-growing lines of blood lashed forth like thin serpents rather than taut wires and both speed and accuracy were far off, striking the floor like loose whips around Crow's dashing feet as he managed to dodge every last one of them. Vulture was practically giggling - giggling wildly like a madman rather than a schoolgirl of course - by the time Crow closed the distance. It was extremely rare for anyone to get so close, but rather than being scared Vulture was thrilled!

Crow's assault was relentless, his blades slashing consecutively in all directions while his opponent was forced to shirk back in order to dodge. Distance was Vulture's primary focus, and though breaking his defenses was near impossible all it took was getting in close to send him on the run - or so Crow thought.

While carefully backing up to avoid the attacks Vulture had been leaving lines of Bloodwire behind Crow, the density and strength of his Branch of Sin steadily increasing the further back it was. Still, Crow was much faster than he had anticipated, and the incoming blades became increasingly hard to dodge. It was then that a few daunting realizations struck Vulture's mind... _"Crow is still convinced that this is a serious battle... I need to be at the other end... and Crow-" _Vulture's thought process was interrupted as a blade narrowly missed slicing across his chest, _"He almost hit me!" _

The attack had narrowly missed, but it did just enough damage to his opponent's clothes to work against Crow's interest. From just above the hip and all the way up to the collar of the neck Vulture's cloak was ripped, and as a result half of the bloodstained garment had literally fallen off of him; Crow froze and a dark red blush crept over his cheeks. It was a disturbing, yet strangely intriguing sight... the exposed portion of Vulture's chest revealed every detail of bone beneath pale tightfit skin - the shape of his ribs, of his collar bone, the form of his shoulder plus the thin boney arm that stretched forth from it, and the sharp curve of his hip bone jutting out from his excessively thin waist.

"**AAAHHHH!"**

For just a moment Vulture pouted... sure he looked like a walking skeleton but did the announcer really have to scream? And what was even stranger was the look on Crow's face. "Crow?" Vulture called out, almost innocently despite his deep tone, concerned that he had hardly moved since his clothing was ripped.

Hearing his name - or at least his codename - Crow finally moved, carefully shielding his eyes with the non-bladed side of his arm and stammering his apology, "I-I'm sorry!" Ever since their first fight Crow had wondered why Vulture wore such an outfit; it was far from battle-ready and surely had to pose some sort of hindrance. Now, seeing what Vulture was trying to cover, he understood, and he had unwittingly exposed the poor man's anorexic condition to everyone.

Vulture had found Crow's reaction oddly cute, and though he would have preferred to tell him it was fine in a calm and normal way there was one thing stopping him: they were still on stage, and as such Vulture still had his reputation as a madman to uphold! Instead Vulture laughed wildly, and essentially leaped over Crow to run through the premade lines of Bloodwire. As he reached the fallen ends of the lines Vulture turned around sharply and dropped down, placing each individual finger over one of the many barbed ends to reconnect it to his body, and as he rose again and crossed his arms over his chest the many Bloodwire interlaced together, covering ten full meters of the stage with countless lines.

Crow was momentarily bewildered as he heard the light sounds of running feet and fading maniacal laughter, but as he dared to open his eyes he realized what had just happened. All around him he could see the gleaming lines of Bloodwire, and he quickly knew that the only way through them was to hack and slash his way free. _"Dammit!" _Crow cursed himself for being such an idiot, and glared at Vulture's shrouded image through the lines of blood for putting him in this situation.

"_Now let's see if he can apply the concept of density on his own..." _It had all turned back to Vulture's favor thanks to such a simple mishap, and though it was true that Vulture had done much to hide his condition he was momentarily grateful for it.

"**Vulture has trapped Crow once again! Will this one pan out better than the last!?"**

One by one Crow began cutting down wires with his Crow Claw, and though the first ones were easy it seemed they were getting increasingly stubborn. It was like an uphill battle, and near halfway through it seemed he had reached his limit. Crow repeatedly hacked at a single wire, expending his dwindled physical energy to the point that he had to pause and catch his breath. _"How can the damned things be so strong!?" _he groaned and doubled over, breathing heavily until an interesting pattern caught his eye. The severed Bloodwire had returned to a liquid state, just as the ones from before, but now Crow was able to see the trend... the stronger wires had left behind much thicker trails of blood than the weaker ones. "Density..." Crow said the word out loud as he mused over the concept.

Vulture had distinctively given Crow the word, 'density.' Earlier in the battle Vulture's attacks hit with three levels of strength. Currently, Vulture's Bloodwire were growing in strength, and the broken wires were leaving more and more blood behind. Density was defined as a material's mass per unit volume. So putting two and two together, the secret of the Bloodwire's strength was in the amount of blood that was compacted to make them - more blood within the same width, stronger wire; less blood within the same width, weaker wire.

Crow was struck with a 'eureka' moment, ironically on the same topic as the original 'eureka.' Density. _"I get it!"_ In his excitement Crow's energy returned and he shot upright, re-entering his fighting stance and focusing entirely on his Branch of Sin. Density. It would take more blood to strengthen his weapon at its current size, or he could condense everything into a smaller blade. His decision was easily made, and with an amount of mental focus most would think improbable for him, Crow forced more blood into his weapon. Visually there was no change, and only one way to test whether or not it had even worked. With newfound strength he struck the Bloodwire once more, and finally the stubborn line gave way, cut perfectly in half down the middle. "Dead center!" Crow proudly beamed and raised his fist towards Vulture, who was now only five meters of Bloodwire lines away, "You're next."

"**Crow is making his way through!"**

Vulture grinned widely and stretched his right hand forward then curled his fingers back, beckoning Crow with the 'bring it on!' gesture and at the same time setting off a chain of events with his woven Bloodwire trap. Half of the lines - those attached to his right hand - began reforming, growing thin tentacle-like additions that lashed out towards Crow.

"_Shit!_" Crow was caught off guard as the first strike of wire slashed across his chest,_ "Does this guy ever run out of tricks!?" _Crow knew he had to be careful as he progressed, but no matter how many times he cut down the offensive, striking lines another would soon replace it. Countless times he was getting hit, the deep hair-thin wounds leaving behind a painful sting.

Ironically this extention ability was one of Vulture's weakest - all it took was breaking down the stationary root Bloodwire to knock out the moving ones... after Crow had already seen how the severed lines turn to blood Vulture was amazed that he hadn't figured it out yet. _"How much blood do I have left before going critical..?"_ Vulture pondered, growing a tad bored as Crow continued to struggle at the seven-meter line with only three to go. _"Five percent currently but if he keeps making me replace the lashlings I'll be in trouble..." _With that Vulture yawned, covering his mouth with his right hand and consequently reverting the Bloodwire to normal. "Come now, Crow this is getting old... I thought you were going to cut me in half?" Vulture droned to reveal his boredom, "Will this make it easier for you?"

Crow growled - nearly roared - at the insult in rage, but despite his anger the remaining Bloodwire refused to break down. _"Dammit! It needs more blood!"_ once again Crow had to up the density of his Crow Claw, but in his rage he used perhaps too much. His blade cut through the Bloodwire cleanly, and he steadily progressed the remaining three meters with little trouble, leaving behind a thick trail of blood - both his own from the wounds, and Vulture's broken Bloodwire.

"**This is the bloodiest battle seen in months!"**

"_Cleared all the way through to seventy percent... I'm sure the total mass of his blades helped in breaking them down but still... Nicely done, Crow."_ Vulture was quite impressed, and as the last of his Bloodwire were cut down he once again had to replace them. He knew his blood supply was limited, and as such he knew he would have to change tactics. With his left hand behind his back he crouched low, and held his right hand forward as fresh Bloodwire oozed out of all five fingertips, _"Density, one hundred percent... volume per wire, one percent... length, four meters each..." _

Crow launched his attack just as the Bloodwire were forged, giving Vulture just enough time to counter the strike with a quick upward strike and momentarily knock him off balance. But Crow was highly skilled in close-quarter combat, and with a fluid motion he caught himself while striking out with his second blade.

Now down to one set of Bloodwire Vulture just barely managed to dodge the Crow Claw, receiving a small cut just off the center of his chest. _"Curses!"_ It was so rare for Vulture to sustain an injury that he had forgotten to add it to his calculations, and to make up for the impending blood loss he reigned in each of his five Bloodwire by a full meter, knocking them down to three meters each.

"You're mine!" Crow exclaimed as he followed up his successful attack with another strike that was headed for Vulture's neck.

"You wish!" Vulture replied with a deep, maddened laugh as his Bloodwire barely managed to spare him from being beheaded, then with a wily smirk he added, "You know... I kinda wish too."

Crow was momentarily thrown off by Vulture's remark and his face reddened yet again, "That's not what I meant!" Though flustered Crow maintained enough focus on the battle to counter a strike of Vulture's Bloodwire, successfully breaking all five Bloodwire mere inches from Vulture's fingertips and placing a gash on his covered left shoulder.

Vulture ignored the pain that shot through his entire arm, but he knew his blood level was at it's limit. _"One more attack... just one more..."_ Vulture forced his body to move, and in a final effort to win - or at least to survive - he lunged forward at Crow, stabbing the five shortened Bloodwire into Crow's chest.

"Dead center..." Crow grunted in pain, coughing up traces of blood from the sustained wounds.

Consciousness faded for both combatants, and both fell in opposite directions at the same time onto the bloodstained floor.

"**What happened!? It looks like... is this a draw!? ... can there be a draw?"**

It came as a shock to all who were spectating. Never before had Carnival Corpse ended in a draw, and no one knew what to do. The crowd quickly rose into an uproar as each tried to declare their bet as the victor, but even with replays the truth was clear... Both had gone unconscious at the same time, and both had hit the floor at the same time. To the very millisecond, the match was a draw. The medical team was sent in to pick up the fallen combatants, while Promoter Tamaki had to deal with the crowd. It was eventually decided that the bets would be refunded, leaving the remaining questions of how to split the prize between the two, and which would be featured in the Too Bad for the Loser Show...

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...

Vulture awoke in the infirmary to find that he had been stripped down to his pants with an IV line in his arm and his wounds already patched, but no visible heart monitor.

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...

So why was there an incessant beeping noise? A _familiar_ incessant beeping noise... _"Poison!"_ Vulture shot upright as he recognized the sound to be the alarm from a death row inmate's collar, and by slashing his nails across his left hand he quickly coursed the poison out of his bloodstream - but it was a minimal amount.

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep...

"_It isn't mine,"_ Vulture realized, relieved that his purging technique had still been working after all. _"But then... whose is it..?" _Vulture looked around the room, and soon enough the answer became clear; the only other person in the room, was Crow. "Shit..!" Vulture openly cursed and removed the IV line from his arm, then rose and quickly made his way to the door. He couldn't remember how the fight had ended, but it was clear that both he and Crow had passed out sometime or other. "Tamaki!" Vulture's voice echoed as he called out to the Promoter, who was casually walking through the hallway.

"Oh? So you're the first to awaken eh, Vulture?" Tamaki remarked with his usual broad smile, "I suppose you're wondering what happened then, hmm? Well I'll tell you..." The Promoter's face met a drastic change, revealing that he was actually quite pissed, "It was a draw. Meaning all of the bets had to be refunded."

"A draw?" Even Vulture was shocked to hear this, and - completely ignoring the Promoter's angry scowl - he asked, "What about the prize?" At this point it was urgent, to Vulture at least.

Tamaki arched an eyebrow at Vulture's unusual behavior, but he had other issues to put up with for the moment - he hadn't even given the Deadmans' prize much thought. "Hmmm... Ah, I know. One of you will receive the candy and the trophy and go home three days happier, and the other gets the Cast Points after going through the Too Bad for the Loser Show. Though by the looks of it Crow may well be executed soon, in which case everything will go to you," Tamaki answered with a cruel high-pitched giggle.

Crow executed? Not an option, not now. "I'll take the Cast Points," Vulture declared without hesitation, "But you give me the candy now so I can take it back to Crow before it's too late."

Tamaki's broad smile returned, "You realize what you're signing yourself up for yes? The almighty Vulture **finally** makes it to the Loser's chair! Your fans will be crushed, or maybe they'll be thrilled!"

Vulture growled lowly, "Yes I realize now quit wasting my time!"

The Promoter could only laugh at Vulture's worried display, but still he decided it was best to give the man what he so badly wanted. "You show such strange affection for Crow..." Tamaki sneered as he handed over one piece of precious, bitter candy, "You do realize that even with this he'll die in three days. With those final wounds you gave him there's no way he can earn enough Cast Points for another. Crow is good as dead! D-E-A-D dead!"

Vulture didn't even wait for the Promoter to finish talking before dashing off, and the moment he returned to the room he could once again hear the beeping.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Already the effects of the poison were taking hold of Crow's body, leaving him to writhe and shake in agony in a semi-conscious state. It was painful just to watch, and Vulture wasted no time as he ripped the paper off of the small black ball and quite literally shoved it down Crow's throat, causing the man to gag as his body protested but giving him no other option other than to swallow.

Bee-Bee-Bee-Bee-Bee-Bee-Beep... Beep... Beep... ... ... ...

Finally there was peace in the room, the annoying beeping noise replaced by the heavy sound of Crow's breathing as he started to recover.

Vulture sighed in relief, and with that ordeal taken care of he walked back out of the room where Tamaki and the sadistic female doctor, Rei Takashima, eagerly awaited him. "You're both going to escort me?" Vulture commented with a snide tone, "Aren't I somethin' special."

* * *

**A/N: (means After Note for those'a you who don't know!) ... after getting about halfway through this I realized that there were a lot of innuendoes (subtle sexual references for those of you who don't know the meaning of innuendo) ... so, I decided to stick to the innuendoes! They were fun! And amusing! And while coming up with more of a backstory for Vulture to go along with the anorexia ordeal I eventually decided: eh, I'm just going to throw my insane little Vulture over the fence to the yaoi side. **

**This also means... *rolls a drum across the floor* I've decided to keep going with Vulture! Already set up a nice little plotline and everything! ... think I've been working on this one for... two, three weeks? Following chapters prolly won't be this long..**


	2. The Choice of Punishment

**A/N: A review! I almost couldn't believe it! (I've gotten so many for my other story recently that at first I thought it was another of those...) I was worried that this story wouldn't pan out so well, but THAT!? SCORE! To my solo reviewer I once again must thank you. You have spurred me to press on as much as I possibly can with this story!**

**And moving on...**

**Warning: This chapter contains explicit gore and sadistic sexual content. Enjoy!**

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For Vulture, it was a shameful walk through G-block to the Loser show - or at least it was a shameful walk every time he started questioning his own decision. With every step it seemed he was mocked by the other Deadmans, either those whose friends Vulture had killed, or those who simply thought that he was some sort of freak due to his anorexia, and the fact that he had never received his ripped cloak meant that he was still left in just his pants... with his disfigured, boney torso fully exposed.

"Aw, don't listen to them, Vulture," Rei chimed over the clatter of the rest, "I find your body fascinating! In fact I can't wait to see which part I get to remove! It'll be your first time so I'll be sure to make it **extra rough** for you."

"Really, doc? You'll do that just for me!?" Vulture replied, feigning excitement, "Better yet let's do the show an extra sixteen times to make up for all of my kills that robbed you of your sick, twisted fun you sadistic bitch!" With his final remark Vulture cackled, but quickly received a heavy blow to the back of his head from a following prison guard that turned his laughter into a sneer. "Are you offering yourself as my unofficial seventeenth kill?" he threatened. Vulture absolutely hated to have his amusement interrupted.

"Settle down, Vulture," Promoter Tamaki said with a limited amount of actual care, "Save it for the show."

Openly, without making any attempt to hide his actions, Vulture mocked him, waggling his head and moving his lips to mouth the words while rolling his eyes. It wasn't that Vulture was particularly upset with Tamaki - in fact he had a strange sense of respect for the manipulative jerk - but today, at this particular moment, he was simply upset. Perhaps it was a bit caused by the ridicule from the other Deadmen... and the guards... and Rei... _"She finds my body __**fascinating? **__I look terrible..." _Vulture mused as he mentally went along the list of things bothering him, but even this was not the true root of his horrid mood.

It was Crow. Or rather, himself, because of Crow. _"Gah, just what do I think I'm __**doing!?**__ ... oh, that's what I'm trying to figure out now... But __**why!?**__ I let him live, I secretly help him improve, I save his life! I almost lost my perfect winning streak because of him!"_

Because of him? It's because of Crow that Vulture nearly threw the fight?

"_No... It's because of me. But Crow is still the source of my dilemma! I need to figure this out... and quickly before we're set into __**another**__ rematch and I do something ridiculous like die for him!"_

_**You do realize that even with this he'll die in three days. With those final wounds you gave him there's no way he can earn enough Cast Points for another. Crow is good as dead! D-E-A-D dead! **_

Those were the Promoter's final words earlier, spoken as Vulture rushed to Crow's side with the antidote...

"_We'll just see about that, Tamaki,"_ Vulture smirked to himself; his plan to take care of that ordeal was already set into motion. _"But __**WHY**__ did I even come up with this crazy idea!? Gah! What's it matter to me if Crow lives or dies!? He's just another random Deadman standing in my way, he means nothing to me!" _

Nothing? If he meant nothing than why didn't Vulture just kill him the first time around? Or the second? Or let him be executed?

"_Alright, alright, I get it!"_ Vulture yelled at the narrating voice in his head, then he started to wonder why he was hearing the voice to begin with, _"I think the commentation from Carnival Corpse is starting to get to me... It feels like my every action is being spoken..."_

"Hey! Vulture! Are you even listening to me!?" Rei yelled sharply, throwing Vulture's train of thought off the rails and finally making him realize that they had reached their destination.

"Sorry I don't speak Bitchinese," Vulture remarked curtly. If there was one person in this Hell he couldn't stand, it was the sadistic female doctor who he so often called a bitch. It was disturbing the way she would poke and prod at his exposed boney structure every time Vulture was forced through one of those so-called 'checkups.' _"It feels more I'm being checked out..."_ Vulture thought with a visible shudder. And now Vulture was going to be her prisoner... _"Gah, I must be some sort of idiot to put myself through this on purpose!"_

"Get. On. The chair." After ordering Vulture to sit down for the tenth time Rei's patience was long gone. He had to be doing this on purpose, just to get under her skin! But soon... soon she would be getting under **his** skin... literally if she was lucky! She licked her lips at the thought alone of peeling Vulture's pale, greyish skin back, exposing nothing but bone and perhaps just a few thin layers of meat on his exotically skinny core - Oh how his body got her off! She had dreamt of this moment from the first inspection of his glorious form, to have him strapped down in the Loser's chair, just waiting to sacrifice a piece of his body all to her! To hear his screams of pain and see him writhing beneath her, for his internal fluids to splash across her face and her body! To cut in deeper, deeper! Yes! To rip out a piece of him and hold it proudly in the palm of her hand as he watches in fear and in horror, crying out in agony until that dark, deep voice of his goes hoarse and fades to a soundless cry! Yes, oh, yes! Her greatest fantasy! And finally, after so many missed chances, finally it would become real!

Vulture had already settled himself on the loser's seat while Rei pictured her little fantasy, though lucky for Vulture he only witnessed the results of her thoughts - the fidgeting and the slight squirming, the darkening blush and the occasional lurid gasp. Vulture could only imagine what sick, twisted thoughts must be going through the bitch's head - but he preferred not to. Instead he set his sights on the straps meant to bind him, and rather than giving the bitch the pleasure of strapping him down he had taken care of them himself. "Can we get this over with already?" Vulture openly complained, "You've been standing there like an moaning whore for three minutes now and I'm starting to get very bored."

"Oh? Getting impatient already, Vulture? I knew you'd come around," Rei replied seductively, fully turned on by her own fantasy.

"Tch," Vulture scoffed in disdain, "Don't flatter yourself, bitch. Now bring out the ridiculous looking slot machine!"

"Very well," the sadistic doctor replied with her sensual tone unfaltering, and with a simple motion she instructed the stage hands to move the bird-themed slot machine forward. This was it, the start of her fantasy! Dextrous fingertips circled around the red ball atop of the lever before she finally clasped her hand around it. With a twisted smile she brought the lever down, and as the carousel music played the three reels began to spin. What would it be? Would she scoop out one of those bright blue-green eyes? Take a slice of his stomach? Or a piece of his heart? Wouldn't that be ironic, the devourer of hearts loses a piece of his! Or she would get to rip off one of his ears? Remove that sharp-witted tongue? Pull out his sharpened teeth? Or maybe she would be lucky enough to steal his lips! Ooh, that one held so much potential - she could probably get away with biting them off! Hungrily she moved her tongue over her lips, then flashed them back over her teeth as well.

"Stop," Vulture spoke out at last, then with an added cackle he decided to specify, "Both the machine, and being a whore!" No matter what happened, Vulture would have the last laugh - and a few laughs along the way. He had to keep his stage persona in tact. Vulture was a madman, a raving lunatic, a psychopath! He had to fight fear with insanity, respond to pain with maniacal laughter, and above all, he had to make it convincing. The reels slowed to a stop, and Vulture felt his heart sink. _"Well... at least it isn't my heart,"_ he decided, but still the result put a major dent in his technique.

Rei clicked her tongue in disappointment, "Tsk... fingernails." No getting under his skin, and no chewing on his lips. But it wasn't a total waste; she would still get to hear him scream. With her table of tools Rei approached the Loser's chair, and for just a while she admired her various utensils. So many ways she could rip off Vulture's precious talons... Eventually she chose her tool, a set of pliers with a firm grip that were small enough to let her twist and jerk if she wanted - and she really, **really** wanted. "Now the only question is: which do I take first?" Rei nearly whispered as she ran her fingertips along Vulture's right hand.

Vulture sneered at the unwanted contact, but keeping with his madman's profile he responded with a wide grin, "Why not start with the pinky, doc? Should be the most painful!"

It threw her off, if only for a moment. _"There's no way I'm letting him ruin this for me!"_ Rei decided. She had waited far too long for this! Vulture may be acting tough, but inside he had to be scared. Lightly, **tenderly**, Rei took ahold of Vulture's pinky, and raised it over the others. "This one, V?" she asked in a seductive tone, knowing it would work on Vulture's nerves.

Vulture nearly gagged, disgusted by her. "Yes, bitch!" he replied, forcing a maddened grin, "That one will be just fine!"

The sadist's eyes narrowed just a smidgeon, marking her frustration, but still she maintained her temptress demeanor. Gently she latched the pliers onto the first nail, and with her tone mocking innocence she asked, "How's this for you?"

"Horrible!" Vulture yelled lowly, "Move the pliers closer to reduce the leverage, it'll make it hurt more!" His response won him an angered glare from Rei, to which he openly cackled. He would do whatever it took to ruin the bitch's fun, even if it meant taking more pain.

"_He thinks I'll stand for this!? Let's see how much he laughs when he's in pain!"_ Rei growled inwardly, and with a sharp twist she jerked the first nail clean off of his hand, sharply moaning as the first thick splatter of warm blood to splashed over her hand.

Pain shot through Vulture's hand and he instinctively jerked back against the bindings, but he silenced any chance of screaming with a low hiss that was luckily covered by the bitch's moan. "Another!" Vulture called, throwing his head back in maniacal laughter both to look like he was insane, and to inconspicuously fight back the tears that were forming in his eyes.

"_He's still laughing!?" _Angrily Rei clamped the pliers around the next nail and immediately ripped it off, hoping to catch Vulture off guard.

Vulture's maddened cackle was briefly interrupted with a sharp cry, but rather than letting it stop him he simply rose the pitch of his laughter to match the sound of his scream, blending the two together with just a small, insignificant seam.

"Why you-!" Rei knew she was losing this battle, and in a fit of rage she ripped off the third nail, then the fourth, and the fifth, gasping and panting as each talon was torn from Vulture's clenching fingers. The oversized, sharpened fingernails were scattered in various directions as each was torn off in turn, leaving trails of blood in their wake until they landed in different parts of the room.

Still, Vulture succeeded in maintaining his maniacal laugh, even as the searing pain throbbed in each of his fingertips and his boney hand was coated in streams of blood. It hurt, moreso than anything he had ever been through it hurt, and even though his laughter overwhelmed his screams of pain there was no way to disguise the tears of agony that were trickling down his cheeks. What was worse, his vision was blurring to a black haze as his body struggled with the pain - but no, he couldn't black out! He refused to let the bitch win!

"_He's getting weak..!"_ Rei was thrilled to see tears on his wildly laughing face, and looking down at her handiwork thrilled her even more. To see the blood pumping out of his fingers where the nails once were, every beat of his quickened pulse visibly pushing out more. The final three nails had been so hastily torn off, leaving the exposed layer beneath rough and uneven, and his entire hand was left shaking. _"One more to go..!"_

Vulture had been so focused on holding back his show of pain that he didn't even see Rei switch sides, and as the first nail of his left hand was ripped off his laugh was abruptly interrupted by a deep, pained scream. There was no recovering this time - it was too obvious a scream to cover, and he was in desperate need of catching his breath. Grinning, he turned his head to face the bitch, his breathing haggard but his voice reflecting madness, "Come on! You can do better!"

Rei's victory was short-lived, and no matter how delicious his scream was the taste of his arrogance had ruined it. "You're right," she replied, "I can!" She slammed her chosen tool back onto the table, and in it's place she picked up another. With a twisted gleam in her eyes she raised a scalpel to the side of Vulture's face, running the back side of the notoriously sharp blade down along his cheek, slowly, with featherlight pressure, and then sliding it along his long, slender neck and dragging it across his thin shoulder, and finally trailing it down his arm.

In disgust Vulture shuddered, the very idea of the sadistic bitch being **gentle** with his body disturbing him to the core. He would prefer the blade to be cutting his skin rather than this!

She delighted in the chill running through Vulture's slender form, but it didn't compare to the delight coming up next. After slowly bringing the scalpel down along his long, boney finger she jammed the blade beneath the nail, and wrenched the scalpel through the flesh until the nail popped off.

It was by far more painful than simply having a nail removed, and as Rei was tearing the blade through his fingertip Vulture howled a beautiful scream. Just under his cry of agony he could hear the bitch's moan, and shortly afterwards the scalpel was slicing into the next finger. _"I can't... I can't let her win!" _Vulture refused to give her what she wanted - or at least not anymore of it. He forced his lips to pull into a grin, and with his turqoise eyes opened wide he laughed at her. No words. Just wild, unsettling, demoniacal laughter.

Yet again Vulture had ruined Rei's moment - just shy of her feeling fully satisfied. Enraged she glared at him, and stabbed the scalpel **through** the fourth nail, the impact and location causing a trickle of blood to squirt forth from the newly formed hole and land on her face.

By this point Vulture was practically immune to the pain, his body running off of pure adrenaline as he continued to laugh. Mockingly he laughed harder, louder, as she pulled on the scalpel to pry the nail off. **He would have the last laugh.**

Rei was in a state of disbelief, and left with a single nail to remove. It wasn't fun. Vulture had succeeded in sucking the fun out of the penalty game. Distraught she looked at the remaining talon on Vulture's left pinky. Removing the nail would mean nothing to her, and Vulture was laughing at her! He had to pay... She would make him pay! In blinded fury she dropped the scalpel, and in it's place she picked up a much bigger blade and raised it high over her head. If removing his nails wasn't enough she would just have to take his hand!

"STOP!"

Everyone froze as Promoter Tamaki's voice clearly rang through the slot machine's speakers - everyone except for Vulture, who continued to laugh like a lunatic.

"That's enough, Takashima. Step away."

Reluctantly Rei lowered the blade to her side and stepped back, her eyes hidden by her short bangs to hide her shame.

"What? That's it?" Vulture asked, as if he too was disappointed. The bindings were released by the costumed stage hands, and in a perky manner Vulture sat up. He raised his bleeding hands into the air in front of him, and looked with disdain at the remaining pinky nail. "Now that just looks unnatural... I'll take care of this one myself!" Vulture was grateful that his body was still numb to the pain as he reached over for the pliers, and after a steadying breath he ripped off the final nail on his own. "There we go! Now does anyone have a bandaid?"

It was unbelievable...

Vulture looked around with a visible pout as no one answered him. "What, did the bitch cut out your tongues or something?"

Still no one answered, no one even moved! The room was deathly silent...

"_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, __**FUCK**__ this hurts!" _Vulture was inwardly hissing in pain, but on the outside he refused to let it be seen - there was no real way to tell if the show was still on or not.

The silence was broken as an assistant physician walked into the room, and motioned for Vulture to follow her.

Keeping to his madman's persona Vulture pointed to himself curiously, as if he couldn't believe that he was the one the doctor wanted to see. After an affirming nod he shrugged and walked forward, but with a wild grin he feigned a jump towards the ones that were stunned by his earlier display, and cackled darkly as they nearly fell back. _"So much pain, so much pain, so much pain! Haha, that was pretty funny... but OW this shit hurts!"_

The physician led him away without a word, but moments after walking through the door and safely being off the 'stage' Vulture could no longer maintain his facade, and with a subtle, victorious smile on his face he fell forward, rendered unconscious for the **second** time...

* * *

**A/N: Ah my insane little Vulture. I daresay I enjoy his internal struggles! **"**Hehehe, my plan is working!" "Wait, why am I doing this..?" "Who cares, it's perfect!" "... but seriously, what am I thinking?" **

**Love it! And I also loved the whole, Vulture ruining Rei's fantasy thing! Laugh, Vulture, laugh.**

***Bonus hint!* In the next chapter, I'm finally going to reveal Vulture's name!**


	3. The Gift of Candy

**A/N: Sooo... been about a week now... Little longer than I expected... BUT, not a bad pace I think. Thanks to my reviewers! Cheers to my viewers! And now let's get on with the show!**

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Two and a half days had passed since Crow and Vulture had their battle... two and a half agonizing days of coughing blood and struggling to move in one of the infirmary rooms, unable to sit up or even wear a shirt without feeling a sharp sting of pain in the center of his chest, unable to breath without feeling a dull throbbing pain in one of his lungs, unable to do much of anything but lie there and suffer. But at least the suffering would end soon...

There were just a few more hours before the poison would take hold yet again, and Crow would be executed. That's it. End of story. No more Crow. No more Kiyomasa Senji. No more... anything. Is this really how his life would end..? Marked off as a 'mysterious death' in a prison that's run by people who belong in an asylum? Ever since the Red Hole incident his life became a roller coaster of madness! Sure it was great at first - having two awesome blades hidden inside his arms at all times and kicking thugs' asses on a regular basis was a great start! - but then there was that sudden twist that led to the roller coaster diving straight down into the bowels of Hell!

"_Why didn't the bastard just let me die!?" _

He would rather be dead. Or at least, he would rather have died two and a half days ago - either in the fight or by the poison. Wait, no... he would much rather go back in time and stop any of this from ever happening so he could live a mediocre life as a cop and either die in an epic shoot-out or retire and die an old man. Or even something a little more unexpected like getting hit by a bus... maybe. Anything would be better than suffering in a madhouse... And it was all thanks to Vulture that he had to suffer an additional three days without the option of even trying to fight for his life.

Vulture... Just thinking about him made Senji shudder - which was currently quite painful. He could vaguely remember Vulture hovering over him and shoving something into his mouth, which he only realized afterwards was candy. At first he had thought- _"Uh-uh, not thinking about that!" _ with a deep red blush Senji refused to let his mind tread into such territory. Sure the freak had licked him, but skullfucking him was a bit far out there...

Then again, after seeing what happened during the penalty game nothing could be put past Vulture. The cameras had captured every word, every maniacal psycho-laugh, the sprays of blood, the fingernails being flung... and even after all of that, Vulture pranced out the door like it had actually been **fun!** So far as madness goes, Vulture topped the charts. Before he was intimidating enough to any Deadman that had witnessed his battles, but after that? He probably has them all scared shitless!

With pain searing through his torso with every movement Senji lifted his hand to push his matted hair back, and again he shuddered. Vulture had raked his talons through his hair as well, and then tugged on it, and then licked him... and so luridly said that he tastes good... _"Dammit!"_ Senji mentally cursed as he found himself aroused by his thoughts, almost as much as when the event had happened. He couldn't seem to make up his mind about Vulture - at times he felt repulsion, other times he was actually freaked out, and a few times he had been turned on.

Without even realizing it Senji had tangled his fingers in his own hair, mocking the way Vulture had, but the instant he realized this he practically slammed his hand down at the side of the bed. **Why** did it have to feel so damn good!? Being stuck in such a helpless position, hanging upsidedown with his hands bound, the way Vulture looked at him like a starving beast staring at a piece of dripping meat, being jerked around by his hair and the warm, wet feel of Vulture's tongue as he slowly licked his face. Just thinking about it in such detail was making him hard, and as he noticed his pants growing increasingly tight Senji once again blushed. _"Shit... at least no one's in the room..."_

_**Knock.**_

Startled, Senji jumped as he heard a knock to the door, and his blush darkened as he glanced down at the far-too-obvious bulge between his legs. "J-just a minute!" he called out, hoping to stall whoever was there. Completely disregarding the pain in his bare chest, he frantically covered himself with the thin sheets, and bundled as much of the cloth as he could around his groin. Much to Senji's surprise the person had waited, and only once he had deemed his package well-hidden and his blush faded did he call for them to enter with a gruff, "What do you want?"

After a few seconds of what seemed to be someone struggling to use the knob, the door slowly opened, and almost shyly a deep voice called, "Crow?"

Senji's breath hitched in his throat, causing a sharp pain in his lung and in his sternum, "Vulture?" No sooner than Senji identified the voice did the man appear in the doorway, but it was **still** hard to believe it was him. The bloodstained cloak and hat were gone, replaced with clean, loose-fitting black pants and a matching suede jacket. In place of the off-center tophat was absolutely nothing, leaving his silvery hair to flow freely around his lean frame and, surprisingly, keeping it away from his face rather than shrouding it which - Senji noticed - drew much more attention to his bright turqoise-colored eyes. Even more out of place: rather than sporting a madman's grin, his expression was... concerned? It almost didn't seem to be the same person, but the individually bandaged fingertips, the hair, the eyes, and the voice fully confirmed it. That man, that sane-and-normal-looking man, was Vulture. "You look... very different." It was a blunt remark, but as astounded as Senji was it was the best sentence he could manage.

Vulture frowned just a little and raised a visible silver eyebrow at him, "Did no one teach you the concept of 'manners' when you were a child, Crow? You're quite horrible at greetings."

"Yeah, you're Vulture alright," Senji commented rather than responding. Any doubt he may have had was obliterated the moment the man brought up greetings.

It was only then that it really clicked for Vulture that Crow had never seen him outside of Carnival Corpse - though really no one had since he had found himself at Deadman Wonderland, but still. _"This will be more challenging than anticipated..." _he soon realized with a sigh. For so long he had maintained his stage image any and every time he was outside of his room, and now - as planned - everyone thought him a raving psychopath. The very idea that he could be anything but a madman would surely seem strange to anyone else. Audibly Vulture laughed at the simplicity of this little hiccup in the grande scheme of his life, but it wasn't like he had ever anticipated something like **this** - which, by the way, he still couldn't identify. "May I come in?" Vulture politely inquired, still standing in the doorway.

"Uh... sure?" Senji responded. Why the man was asking to come in when he was already halfway there struck him as a bit odd, but then again all of this was odd. Moments ago Senji was thinking about how insane Vulture was - and how much of a damned turn on it had been at times - and now here he was, Vulture, but acting near-the-opposite of Vulture. _"Is this some kind of trap? Or did I finally die a few minutes ago only to wake up in some twisted afterlife?"_

With a grateful nod Vulture stepped into the room, and quietly closed the door behind him. It was refreshing to be like himself again, or perhaps he was 'not to being like himself?' At this point it was impossible for him to tell... "I suppose you may be wondering why I'm here, Crow?" Vulture said as he approached the side of the bed, perhaps a bit to Crow's discomfort.

"Obviously," Senji remarked curtly. Did Vulture decide to kill him off outside of the ring or something? Or did he want to watch him die from execution? _"Che... that'd be one hell of a cruel reason to shove an antidote down someone's throat. 'Wait, don't die yet, I won't be able to watch!'" _Senji internally laughed at his dark joke, _"I wouldn't put it past him."_

For the second time one of Vulture's eyebrows perked up, but he decided it was best to disregard Crow's unrefined demeanor - though in it's own way it was fairly appealing, even if it did make him feel unwelcome. _"I should just make this quick and go, I guess..." _Vulture decided, and in an almost sudden movement reached into one of his jacket pockets.

Senji was unsure of what to expect when Vulture moved, and carefully watched every move he made as he removed a medium-sized white paper bag from his pocket and set it down gently on the side of the bed. "What's this?" Senji asked, eyeing the apparent gift with suspicion. _"Who would give a gift to a man who's going to die in a few hours?"_

"Well, look and see," Vulture replied, already turned around and heading back towards the door with a half-assed wave over his shoulder. This had been a farfetched plan from the beginning, but for some unknown reason he just had to do it. He was almost regretting it... **almost. **He still had that giddy feeling of pride in the back of his mind and that was victory enough... Everything had worked out perfectly to plan, though it did take him a while longer than expected to locate Crow in the infirmary and sneak into his room unseen.

Carefully Senji poked at the bag, almost as if he was expecting it to contain something that was either alive or possibly going to explode, but when nothing moved or made a noise he decided it may actually be safe. He brought the bag closer and peered inside to see a shocking sight, just as he heard the doorknob being moved. "Hey, wait a sec!" he called out with a slight glare. _"The guy goes on about manners and then he gives me __**this**__ and just leaves?"_

Instantly Vulture halted, and curiously turned around. "Yes, Crow?"

"Get your ass back here and explain this!" Senji demanded.

Explain? Vulture could hardly explain his actions to himself. At a nonchalant pace Vulture once again approached the bedside, crossing his arms over his chest once he stopped and tilting his head just a little to the left. "It's known as 'candy' and it serves as the antidote to the poison that is currently being dripped into your bloodstream by that lovely device on your neck," Vulture answered, his low voice sounding bored as if he were reading the answer out of an encyclopedia, "But surely you know this already."

Senji's slight glare turned into a full one, "You know damn well that isn't what I meant! Why!?"

"I don't need them," Vulture said plainly, "I've already found a way to purge the poison from my system myself and thus they are of no use to me. So I figured I'd give them to you." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't remotely close to an answer to the question.

"I saw the loser show, Vulture. In exchange for the cast points you chose to give something up in return. And now you've given me ten candy, which happens to cost every point you just won," Senji replied harshly, "Sparing my life is one thing, saving my life is another, but having your nails ripped off to bring me **this!? **What gives!?" It was painful to yell, but this whole encounter was deeply bothering him. What kind of twisted game was this? There had to be some sort of ultimatum behind this scheme, there just had to! Vulture was cruel, merciless, a maniac! It had to be a rouse.

Vulture was somewhat amused by Crow's actions, even laughing when he shook the bag in the air with the emphasized _**this**_. He didn't expect that it would be so hard to give a death row inmate the gift of life - the very idea was absurd. Rather than being grateful Crow was livid, absolutely furious with him. "Would you accept my answer if I told you that even I don't know?" Vulture countered the question with another question.

"Fuck no!" Senji answered, again causing the stabbing pains to run rampant through his chest and this time causing him to wince and clutch his ribs.

The show of pain alarmed Vulture, and with a hand placed on Crow's naked shoulder he carefully - but firmly - pushed him down to lie on the bed. "You need to calm down before you get hurt, Crow," Vulture stated assertively, then removed his hand and sat down on the edge of the bed to ensure that he stayed there.

Lucky for Vulture, Senji was nearly frozen after being touched, and having someone push him down onto the bed had left him flustered, and now, having someone on the same bed **with him** had made the reaction more permanent. Vulture was sitting right next to him, practically touching him! Or, at least his left thigh was much-too-close to Senji's arm since he just happened to raise it onto the bed... along with his ass... _"S-stop looking at it!" _Senji inwardly growled at his eyes as they followed his line of thought up Vulture's leg, and since the clearest part of the bed happened to be near the pillow it left Vulture sitting quite close to Senji's head - or to his face since he had turned to stare at it.

Ignorant of Crow's visual dillema, Vulture had set his gaze on the white bag of candy with a quiet sigh, and tried to come up with a good enough answer. "The truth is I really don't know why, Crow... I've been asking myself that same question for days now - months if you include the question of why I spared your life the first time. The only answer I can really come up with is that somehow, in some inexplicable way, you just... intrigue me," he answered honestly, turning his eyes to Crow who's attention seemed a-little-too-focused on his face, and with a small nonpsychotic smile he continued, "I'm not sure why... I've thought of countless possible reasons and all have fallen short. You are an excellent fighter and your abilities hold a great deal of potential, but I've slain Deadmans of even higher caliber without a moment's hesitation; to be honest I even enjoy killing strong opponents, so it's impossible that I would spare you for that reason... I've also considered that it may be because I find you attractive, but that hasn't stopped me in the past either..."

"Attractive?" Senji repeated in disbelief with his eyebrows furrowed. Did he hear that right?

"Well, yes..." Vulture answered as if he was stating common knowledge that even an idiot would know. Crow's physique would make even the gods jealous - if Vulture believed in any gods, that is. His body was absolutely exquisite... just enough muscle mass to give him a solid build without looking like a disfigured, hulking monstrosity of human tissue, and so laboriously toned to absolute perfection by his constant work-out regiment. "You're very attractive," Vulture continued idly after a few brief seconds of considering Crow so thoughtfully, and with a deep chuckle he dared to take it a step further, "I'd even go so far as calling you dead sexy."

With a furious blush Senji stared at the man sitting on his bed, and with limited thought he practically blurted out, "Y-you can't say that to another man!" On a few occasions Senji had heard such claims in the past, all from females, of course, and all ending with Senji's stammering and virgin-like blushing putting them off and sending them on their way - apparently their interests had been in meaningless sex, and no matter how attractive he may be a nervous man obviously has little experience in such activities. Having a male call him sexy though? That one was curve ball, one that doubled the intensity of his blush and caused it to spread clear to his ears and even down his neck.

"Oh?" Vulture replied with a visible smirk at seeing such a reaction from Crow, "And why not?"

"..." Senji couldn't think of a viable answer, and with the blush still plastered on his cheeks he rolled onto his side with his back facing Vulture while muttering incoherently under his breath. A murdering psychopath... a **male** murdering psychopath... a male murdering psychopath that Senji had gotten a **hard-on** for just by **thinking** about him earlier... had just called him sexy. Not just attractive, **dead sexy. **Was this... okay? _"Am __**I **__okay!?" _This was starting to get awkward, and very quickly at that. Was Vulture seriously into men..? Sure, he had acted a little strangely during the fight but Senji had thought it may have been to throw him off - which had worked on several occasions - but this... this wasn't a fight... Vulture wasn't even acting like Vulture either, which threw things off even **worse** than the fight. And to top everything off, Senji was getting hard **- again!** - which raised a very unnerving question in the back of Senji's mind. _"Am I... into men?" _No longer did it matter where Vulture's interests may be; Senji was now more concerned with his own. _"No, I can't be..! It's just the way he said it, that's all! It caught me off guard!"_

"Crow..?"

Hearing his Deadman code-name momentarily snapped Senji out of his thoughts, and at the same time made him realize that he was growing tired of hearing it. "It's Senji..." he muttered, still refusing to - or perhaps unable to - turn his gaze back to Vulture, even if the madman was still the subject of his mental focus. _"Why is Vulture even doing all of this!? I didn't ask to be saved, dammit! And I definitely didn't ask to be complimented by a homosexual nutcase!" _... Nutcase? Of all the words he could have used in the place of 'madman' he thought of nutcase? The daunting realization darkened the blush that was practically burning on his cheeks. _"The last thing I want to think about are fucking nuts!"_

Curious as to what exactly 'Senji' was Vulture had leaned forward to see Crow's face, stretching one of his arms out over Crow's prone body to hold his meager weight with his bright blue eyes peering down at him as he sounded his confusion with a distinctive, low rumbling "Hmm?"

Startled, Senji jumped as Vulture moved closer. From the corner of his eye he could see Vulture perfectly, his thin frame surprisingly well hidden by the jacket and the cascade of silver hair flowing around his notably pretty fa- _"Wait... pretty?" _Senji couldn't believe it, _"Did I seriously just think that..?"_ No matter how many times he tried to justify it Senji couldn't get around it - interrupting his internal conflict, in that particular moment, from that particular angle, he had a passing thought that Vulture looked pretty...

For a few moments Vulture had patiently waited for an explanation, but instead Crow had simply stared at him, and slowly Vulture was growing a tad impatient with the silence. "What's Senji?" he finally inquired.

Snapped out his thoughts again, Senji quickly turned his eyes away to stare at the far wall, though by the look on Vulture's face made it clear that the man had already seen his burning cheeks. "My name, dumbass," Senji scoffed, his tone harsh to try and throw off the redness on his face as something - anything - besides an embarrassed blush, "It's Kiyomasa Senji."

"_His name..?"_ For once it was Vulture who nearly froze, his prior confused expression now advanced to a completely perplexed one. It had been long - far too long - since Vulture had exchanged names with anyone; he had almost forgotten that Deadmans had names. Ever since he was brought into this nightmarish Wonderland he had been nothing more than Vulture, the devourer of hearts that everyone had quickly learned to avoid. Of course the intimidation was all intentional - his true self would never have lasted in a place as twisted as this - but he had never realized just how high the price had been. Something as simple as learning someone's name now came as a complete shock to him; a simple mark of acquaintance had made his heart skip a beat and his breath hitch in his throat. Had he really fallen so far off the bandwagon of social graces that learning a new name came as this much of a shock..?

The silent response was quickly starting to work on Senji's nerves... It was rare that he bothered with telling anyone his name, and now that he had told Vulture the least the jerk could do was say something! With an annoyed expression Senji turned to yell at him, but the moment his body came to face Vulture he halted. _"Are those... tears?" _Senji stared in utter bewilderment as droplets of water started to pool in Vulture's eyes, _"What the fuck..? What'd I do!?" _Did he somehow manage to make Vulture - _**VULTURE**_ - cry? "H-hey!" Senji stammered, confounded as to what he possibly could have done wrong and finding this occurrence unfathomable, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

With a single blink the water formations vanished, and Vulture seemed to be waking up from a sort of trance. "I'm sorry I spaced out for a moment," he spoke plainly, as if nothing had happened.

For a while Senji carefully studied Vulture, trying to determine whether or not those had really been tears but finding his efforts inconclusive. "I told you my name," Senji growled, the annoyance from before now intensified, "Isn't it **polite** to tell me yours now?" For all of Vulture's talk on manners he was being an ass about this.

"My name..?" Vulture had nearly forgotten it, but luckily it took just a few seconds to pull it from his memories. "Harunosuke Ayamaru," he answered, his deep voice resonating with nostalgia as if he hadn't even heard his own name in a while, "But I preferred to go by Aya..."

"_Preferred?"_ Senji found it a bit strange that he had said it in a past tense, but still the answer he recieved was oddly amusing. "Aya, huh?" he repeated with a passing pained laugh, "Isn't that a girl's name?"

Hearing Senji's response made Vulture - made Aya - pout, and he finally returned to his propper sitting position to fold his arms over his chest. "Isn't **that** a mean thing to say?" Aya rebutted, his voice mocking offense but his pout quickly being overwhelmed by a bright smile. It felt good - extremely good - to say his own name again, and for someone else to actually say it as well? It didn't matter what insults they may say **about** it so long as they actually said it! Just to hear it, to actually have a chance to _be_ 'Aya' rather than being 'Vulture'... it felt unbelievably good! Maybe this was the goal for his confounding, ridiculous plan... Vulture had already ruled out the possibility that it was Senji's battle skill or his godly sexiness, but this - his personality - had never been considered...

"Maybe," Senji answered with a smirk, "But it's true." To him it was hilarious! Despite the low, deep tone of his voice Aya was - as Senji had earlier taken note of - pretty. Adding a girl's name to the mix? As something he **preferred** to be called? It's like he actually knew he was a pretty-boy! _"Or... **is** he a pretty-boy?" _It was common knowledge - at least it was for anyone who keeps up with the basic information on Deadmans - that Vulture's age was unknown, and it was very rare for anyone to see more than his hands and a shrouded glimpse of his face which made it a near-impossible task to really tell...

Aya opened his mouth again to speak, truly enoying this rare chance to be himself, but a certain noise interrupted him. _**Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock. **_It was a brief series of knocks on the door, and rather than saying what he had intended a quiet utterance of "Shit!" spouted from Aya's mouth.

Senji's eyes had been drawn to the door by the knock, but hearing the sound of panic in Aya's tone had immediately rerouted his focus back to him, but rather than seeing the other man sitting nearby he was gone, completely vanished into thin air just as the door was being opened and the uninvited - but apparently entitled - person waltzed into the room.

"Enjoying your death-bed, Crow?"

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**A/N: Minor Cliffhanger! *laughs with the traditional evil of 'Mwahahahahahaa!'***

**... *clears throat***

**So many times I had hinted that Vulture wasn't truly as insane as he acts, and now it's all starting to be revealed! So EVERYONE! Say hi to the man behind the madman, Aya! Just how different from his stage persona of Vulture is he? ... ya know even I'm not sure at this point... **

***Bonus note!* Only after picking the name did I think, "I want to know the meaning." Apparently, 'Ayamaru' can mean either 'to make a mistake' or 'apologize.' This made me a little sad - but in one of those awesome inspiring ways! I've already set the groundwork for Aya's tragic past but the focus is around 10+ ish... So THIS little discovery works out flawlessly for the younger years! I mean, what parent would name their child 'to make a mistake.' Perfect. Absolutely perfect! Much like's Senji's abs. *grins***


	4. The Hand of Death

**A/N: So... I was listening to Rammstein while writing this chapter... and my playlist got to the sexual, sadomasochistic, incest, and homoerotic songs... (Bestrafe Mich, Du Reichst So Gut, Spiel Mit Mir, Ich Tu Dir Weh, Tier...) so rather than continuing on the current chapter my mind told me that I had to set up the plot for the first sex scene! **

**As a result this chapter was a little delayed, but hey! I was working hard on the delicious smuttiness for the future! (Hehe, hard on.) But for now, no smut! ... yet. After scribbling out the basics of the encounter though, I'm probably going to rush a bit of the plot to get to that point a bit sooner than the current pace would allow... **

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"_That little bitch..!"" _Vulture hissed in his thoughts as he identified the voice: Rei. Of all the people to walk into the room it had to be Rei! It was by sheer luck that he had managed to duck under the bed in time, and some sort of miracle that he had thought to snatch the bag of candy and hide it with him. He couldn't be seen like this - like Aya - by anyone..! Well, anyone except for Crow... But definitely not **her!** The plate of flesh where his fingernails used to be were still causing him a the occasional twinge of pain, but now, with the bitch present, they felt like they were on fire! But that was probably because he had started clenching his fists... Still, her fault for showing up. _"Why is the stupid whore even here!?" _Vulture fumed.

Senji was almost as annoyed as Vulture, but he was left without the option of vanishing. He had actually been having a bit of fun for once - even if it was still a freakishly awkward encounter - but now it was being interrupted. He wasn't in the mood to put up with the prison staff today... Actually he hadn't been in the mood to put up with anyone since he was expecting to die, but unbelievably Vul- ... Aya's visit had turned in Senji's favor. Rei, however, was undoubtedly here for something far less benevolent, and he had no interest in finding out what it was. "Get out," Senji commanded gruffly.

"Oh I think not," Rei replied with a coy smile as she shut the door behind her while keeping her body - her chest puffed out to make her breasts seem larger - facing the bed, "You see I have plans for you, Crow." With a slow and graceful catwalk Rei approached, and once she reached the bed she sharply leaned down, leaving her face dangerously close to Crow's to closely take in the sight of his discomfort. "Have you ever wondered what happens to the Deadmans' bodies once they die?" she asked, her tone mocking innocence as she hungrily ran her tongue over her lips and almost licking Crow's as well, "They're dissected."

An unfamiliar rage boiled in the pit of Vulture's stomach as the bitch spoke, and - though his face couldn't be seen at the moment - he glowered viciously at her feet. _"I swear if she so much as touches him I'll cut her to pieces!" _Vulture mentally sneered, though part of him wondered why it was irking him so much. Still, that thought was much less prominent than the musings of multiple ways to kill the bitch: he could wrap his Bloodwire around each of her limbs and pull and pull until her body was ripped into four segments, or string the wire around her bones and force her to commit some sort of violent suicide like stabbing herself repeatedly or slamming her head into a wall, or he could pierce her through a hundred or so times until he was satisfied and the bitch was dead.

The way Rei had flashed her tongue caused a faint blush to creep up on Senji's face, but her words were too much of a turnoff to get him flustered. "Do I look dead to you?" he growled out through clenched teeth as he sunk himself as deeply into the mattress as possible for some much-desired distance. Seriously, what was up with people wanting to lick him lately!?

"Not yet," Rei answered plainly and leaned in even closer, the tip of her nose practically touching Crow's, "But it doesn't really matter, for you see... I'm not waiting for you to die." Her red-painted lips twitched into a twisted smile as a short-lived flash of fear showed itself on Crow's face, and she laughed as his expression was quickly turned into a look of fury. _"That whackjob Vulture may have ruined my fun and damn near gotten me fired, but tonight nothing will stop me! I'm going to cut him up nice and slow until I'm bored of getting off! And once I'm satisfied I'll give him a merciful end to thank him for the night of fun." _Rei felt a rush of victory rattle her to the core. She could already hear Crow's pained screams and bitter cries for death.

As for Vulture, he had already heard enough - more than enough! Aya had **finally** established some sort of connection with someone after being in a cage for so long, and for him, nothing could possibly matter more! He flashed his tongue over the pointed ends of his teeth to find a perfect prospect, and with his mouth opened wide he slammed his hand palm-side-up into one of the sharp fangs. It was much more painful than using his dearly-missed talons, but the tooth served well to rip a gaping hole in the center of his palm that allowed several lines of Bloodwire to pour forth and braid together, forging a thick rope. Like a serpent Vulture contorted his body and slipped out from under the bed by the bitch's feet, the movements fast enough to make it seem like he had somehow materialized as he rose from the floor a distance away and sent the Bloodwire cord to wrap around Rei's neck. Before she had the chance to realize what had happened Vulture ripped his hand back, pulling the bitch towards himself, and away from Crow.

Senji had been seconds away from making his move to try and fight back, but just as he clenched his fist he saw Vulture rising behind Rei like a shadow, followed by the dark red cord that wrapped itself around her and pull her well out of his range. _"What the..!? Aw, come on! I don't need to be fucking rescued!" _Senji was pissed, even if he was a little grateful deep down. It was still agonizing to move around with the wounds in his chest, but surely he could have managed to get the slut off of him - if he could have managed to stop gaping at her nearly-exposed breasts while struggling to get ahold of himsel- of his composure! Not of himself, of his composure! The last thing he needed to think about was getting a 'hold' of himself...

Only after colliding with what first felt like a skeleton did Rei Takashima realize what had happened to her. The sudden tightness around her neck, the following yank that practically tore her away from tonight's intended toy, and the foreboding feeling that overwhelmed her senses as a set of long boney fingers gripped tightly into her shoulder like the hand of Death itself, were all caused by the one man she did not want to see: Vulture. "You!" Rei shrieked and sharply turned around, "Don't you dare think-!"

Vulture cut her words short as his thin, cadaverous hand rewrapped itself around her, this time gripping onto her neck and joining the end of the Bloodwire coil back into his wound to form a tight collar around her. If he had the physical strength for it he would have lifted her up from the ground, but given his physique that was highly improbable. Still, the death-hold around her neck and the ominous rage that was exuding from his intense blue eyes was enough intimidation, and adding onto that was one more powerful detail... Vulture wasn't laughing, or even grinning; his expression was hard, and cold, his lips forming a thin, straight line and his wide-open eyes giving a murderous stare that not even his victims had received.

From where he was now sitting on the bed Senji could see it clearly, the expression of controlled insanity, and even he could feel the foreboding tension in the air around Vulture. _"I didn't think he could look so pissed off..." _Senji noted, almost preferring the obnoxious cackling madman to the newly seen ruthless one.

"Let me make this clear to you now..." Vulture spoke as if whispering, but his deep voice rang loud, and stern, "The only one who's going to have a piece of Crow after the curtain falls, bitch, is me."

Though unable to breath and trembling in fear Rei never let her glare fade. This was the second time Vulture was interrupting her fun! One day... one day the skinny little fuck would die! And then his body would be hers to dismember limb by limb! **And** Crow's! It was only a matter of time... and when that time came, she would take pleasure in every last cut, every drop of blood drained, every peel of skin, every pull of tissue, every bone removed, every organ ripped out!

With obvious reluctance Vulture drew the Bloodwire coil back into his hand and threw the bitch back towards the door. Every fiber of his being wanted to kill her, to eradicate her very existence... but to do so would cause him more problems than the bitch managed to cause on her own. For now her life was off limits, no matter how badly he wanted to destroy her... "I suggest you leave before I change my mind about letting you go," Vulture hissed vehemently, his hand still twitching in desire to shred her disgusting body apart, "Crow isn't dieing today so find another corpse to fuck like a good little bitch, and I'll be nice enough to keep my mouth shut about this... Or does he know that you've been killing his pets before their time?"

With Vulture's final words, Rei knew she was defeated. Already she had fallen out of her superiors' good graces when she went against the rules during Vulture's punishment... If **this** was exposed? Dissecting Deadmans prior to execution? She'd count herself lucky if she was allowed to live, and either way she knew she would be forced to leave... Where else would she be allowed to satisfy her sadistic needs? No hospital would allow her to torture their patients, and even the government had abstained from such practices after unit 731's experiments were uncovered... so as much as she hated - absolutely loathed - losing to Vulture yet again, she knew her choices were limited. "You'll regret this, Vulture..." Rei croaked while leaning back against the door and catching her breath.

"Did I say you could stay there and pant like a ragged dog, bitch?" Vulture retorted, his tone unchanging, "Turn around. Open the door. Walk out. Close the door. And take your skanky ass somewhere that I can't find you to slice you apart for wasting my time with your pointless threats." Finally it worked, and with a smug smirk Vulture watched as she followed his instructions, even ushering her on with a mocking, "See, there's a good bitch... And now there isn't!" as she walked through and closed the door. "If this wasn't your temporary room, Crow, I would spit on the floor..." Vulture commented, only to be responded to with silence, "... Crow?"

**The only one who's going to have a piece of Crow after the curtain falls, bitch, is me.** Senji was still having a hard time believing what he had just heard, and Vulture's deep, cruel, possessive voice repeated the words over and over again in his mind. It was chilling to think that Vulture wanted a piece of him, but at the same time it ignited his earlier troubles - it turned him on. Senji had barely taken notice of Rei's leave, his thoughts still stuck on that single sentence. Vulture had practically marked Senji off as his own with that threatening tone, but what piece of him was he even wanting? _"I-it doesn't matter __**how**__ he wants me..! I mean, i-if he wants me! I'm nobody's bitch! I don't care how sexy he- Wait! Fuck! No! I do __**not**__ think Vulture's sexy, I __**can't**__!"_ Senji tried frantically to remove his thoughts, but it seemed that every statement going through his mind was either an innuendo or a compliment towards Vulture, and what was worse, he once again caught himself balling his fist into his hair just as Vulture had done, which - given Senji's lacking experience in pleasure - was near as bad as reaching a hand into his own pants.

The continued silence prompted Vulture to turn around, and the frustrated look on Crow's face alarmed him. His previously angered posture dropped and his expression turned gentle as Aya walked back over to the bedside. "Senji?" Aya called out worriedly.

It came as a shock when Senji finally noticed that the subject of his thoughts was now standing at his bedside, and with an ever-darkening blush he turned his gaze away, "Y-yeah, what?"

For the second time Aya removed the bag of candy from his pocket, but rather than setting it down immediately he took a single piece out and held it towards Senji, "You need to eat this soon."

Given his recurring dilemma Senji had nearly forgotten, but still the thought of having to eat another of those things was highly unpleasant - especially since he had decided not to eat anything during what he thought were his last three days alive. With an obviously displeased frown he turned his head and glared at the wrapped ball in Aya's hand. _"Boney..."_ his thoughts were interrupted for the second time by that fact, _"I wonder if he ever eats..? Well... besides eating hearts at least." _Senji shuddered at the thought; he had watched a few of Vulture's fights in Carnival Corpses before, and the cameras always made sure to get the perfect shot of Vulture sinking his fanged teeth into the organ. Eventually Senji reached out and took the candy from Aya's hand, but his glare never faltered as he unwrapped it and held it in front of his face.

Curiously Aya leaned over to the side to get a better view of Senji's face, "Well... go on."

Senji continued to glare. He hadn't eaten a thing in three days, and now he had to eat **this?** It just wasn't fair! If he could just get up and go without being sent to his knees in pain he would get a decent meal first! ... actually, at this point he would be willing to crawl for it... Even a simple bowl of rice would make him drool. With a loud, almost roaring growl Senji's stomach betrayed him, announcing his hunger in a strangely embarrassing way in front of someone who appeared to be starving on a regular basis.

For just a moment Aya stared at him, as if trying to figure out the source of such a noise, but the moment it clicked he actually started laughing - quietly as compared to his usual uproarious laughter - with a hand held over his lips.

"_Huh... it's kinda cute when he laughs like that..." _Senji thought to himself, _"Wait! N-no, he's not cute! FUCK!" _ He couldn't believe that - once again - his own mind was going against him.

"You know, Senji," Aya said softly, with kindness lacing over his tone, "If you're hungry I don't mind going to get you something to eat. It is my fault you're here, after all."

Slowly, with his tense muscles practically jerking, Senji nodded.

Aya blinked a few times at the strangely executed response, but with a shrug he inquired, "So what would you even like?"

"... one of everything," Senji eventually stated after a few wasted seconds of trying to decide on one thing in particular. He was nearly starving as it was, and he figured since he was going to live another month he may as well do something to celebrate.

Again Aya laughed, and after setting the bag of precious, bitter candy back down on the bedside he smiled at Senji. "I'll be back soon," he said with a wink before turning around and walking out the door.

Now alone again, Senji fell back into a thoughtful state of mind. He wasn't going to die... For whatever reason Vulture had given him an additional 30 days of life - 30 days that may well allow him to live another year if he played his cards right. It was the last thing he ever would have expected... though, really all of this had been unexpected. Not only did Vulture look different, he had acted completely different! Well... until Takashima made her appearance... Vulture acted much more like Vulture then... Or was Aya acting like Vulture...? Suddenly Senji found himself very confused about the nature of his newfound... friend? Ally? Companion..? ... savior? He scratched his head as if it would make his brain function, but no matter how hard he thought about it he just couldn't wrap his mind around all that had happened. _"Is Vulture... bipolar or something? I mean sure this place can drive anyone crazy, but the way Vulture was acting... it's almost like he's two different people or something." _It reminded him of the story of Jekyll and Hyde where a man's personality was split into two: one of good, and one of evil. _"Dammit, what was that called? Dissasociat-... no, that wasn't it..."_ Frustrated, Senji lowered his hand and glared at the ceiling. It was pointless to try and understand something that he knew so little about. _"Maybe I could ask him..?"_ he considered for a moment, then wondered why he was even so interested to begin with. Sure he had Vulture to thank for his life... and it was nice talking with Aya for a while... and now the psychopath was even going out to get him a meal... but that didn't make them friends or anything, did it? _"He sure acts friendly... now that he isn't trying to kill me at least," _Senji thought to himself, trying to make heads or tails out of the whole situation, _"And for some fucked up reason I'm apparently attracted to the crazy bastard... dammit... Is making friends even an option in a place like this? Sure there are a few gangs that stick together, but Vulture has everyone too freaked out to dare try and fuck with him... I-I mean mess with him! Dammit! That's it! I'm done thinking! I'm just done!" _Now fully frustrated Senji glared towards the doorway, ordering every last thought that tried to prick at his mind to 'piss off' and waiting - impatiently - for his relation-not-yet-identified to return.

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**A/N: Hehehe, poor Rei... I actually like the twisted cunt which is probably why I enjoy putting her in situations of extreme sexual frustration.**

**** Special note: I mentioned unit 731 in this chapter. This has nothing to do with Deadman Wonderland, but rather a piece of history. Starting in a war between Japan and China (the Second Sino-Japanese War) and then stretching through to World War II, 731 was a top-secret Japanese research unit that performed countless experiments on human life from hypothermia, frostbite, and cross-species blood transfusion, to intentionally infecting their subjects - people that they referred to as "maruta/logs" - with various diseases and then cutting them up to see what happens to the organs. Lovely, isn't it? I can only assume that someone like Rei would idolize such a thing, so I decided to throw it in! ****


	5. The Definition of Madness

**A/N: So... long delay... I'ven't had much time to write as of late, and a few other projects have been pestering me on the rare occasions that I do find the time... For recent reviews and favorites and follows, I give many thanks! Truly tis appreciated, as it gives me the drive to continue on!**

**Heads up! Some explicit sexual things are mentioned. *grins at the 'heads up' pun***

**And now, finally, on to the show! ... er... chapter...**

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Vulture's impending returned was announced long before he reached the door by an echo of his uproarious cackling. Though his laughter had always rang with a sort of evil due to his deep tone, the distortion caused by the distance of the echo made him sound outright demonic, as if he was laughing as he escaped the very bowels of Hell itself. Still, to Senji this chilling sound came as a relief, because with Vulture there would also be food. The wait, though short, had served to intensify his hunger, and rather than growling internally at his pesky thoughts the only growls to be heard came from his long-empty stomach.

It had been a dreadful stroll back to the infirmary for Vulture. Now that his anorexia had been exposed the very idea that he would be waltzing through the hallways with three platters holding countless plates of food was absolutely hilarious! ... or at least it was hilarious to everyone else. Had he not gotten one of everything as instructed Vulture would have thrown food at every last bastard who had the guts to comment, but instead he was reduced to very carefully flipping them the bird which sent a single Bloodwire out to bitchslap them. _"It would've been so much more fun to throw food at them..."_ Vulture mentally pouted as he flicked his Bloodwire one last time to open up the door.

Senji had planned on making a smartass comment once Vulture walked through the door, such as sarcastically complaining that it took him too long, but the way Vulture was carrying all of the food revoked his ability to speak as he busted out in - very painful - laughter. Vulture's stance made it seem as though he was shrugging with his hands raised into the air, with two of the three platters resting on either shoulder while being held stable by his bandaged fingertips, and the third platter was miraculously left to balance on the top of his head. Making everything seem all the more amusing was the extremely unamused look on Vulture's face. He looked like he was about ready to kill someone but in an extremely childish manner.

"Go on, laugh it up," Vulture stated dryly as he stepped into the room and turned around, and expertly managed to keep everything balanced while standing on one leg and closing the door with the other, "At this point I've about grown immune to it..." With dextrous ease Vulture spun around and walked over to the bedside, placing the three platters one by one around Crow before sharply taking a step back.

"Hehe, sorry," Senji apologized, sincerely despite the final remnants of laughter in his tone and his wandering eyes focusing more on the mass of food before him rather than the target of his apology. It was enough food to easily feed four people, though it was intended to feed far fewer.

Vulture shook his head, with his eyes idly tracing the lines of the tile. "Worry not, Crow," he replied dryly, and turned around to face the door, "Though I feel I should probably take my leave; I would prefer not to hover around while you are eating." Without waiting for a response Vulture took a few steps towards the door, but he had barely made it a few paces before he was halted.

"Aya!"

Slowly he turned around, his head tilting just a little to the side and a subtle grin on his lips. "Vulture," he corrected, "And yes, what is it?"

"_Vulture..?" _Senji thought a little confused, but quickly disregarded his re-occurring questions. "Who said you could leave?"

Curious, Vulture raised an eyebrow at him, "Well I did of course, or do you plan to tell me otherwise?" The longer he remained in the room the more it started to wear on him. The sight of food, and even worse the smell of it? It made him more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"You think I plan to eat all of this myself?" Senji rebutted, "Stay and eat something; you look like you've been starving for months..." There was a level of concern in Senji's voice towards the end, and it became clear that it had been his intention from the start to try and get... Aya? Vulture..? Whoever! to join him.

Vulture took an uneasy step back, though still facing Crow - and the food. "Ah, I'd rather not," Vulture replied with his hands raised in front of himself defensively and his grin faltering with a twitch at the corner of his lip, making him appear as nervous as he felt.

With a serious frown Senji folded his arms over his chest, adamantly refusing to back down. "At least taste something!" he demanded. What's so damn hard about eating?

"_Taste?" _Vulture's thoughts repeated, latching onto something he could easily use against Crow. His shoulders slacked down as his arms lowered, and the uneasy twitch halted as his grin turned into a smirk. Slowly he tilted his head to the side, and set his eyes directly on Crow's narrowed eyes. "How about we make a deal then, Crow? If you really want me to try something," Vulture said luridly, with a very different hunger lacing his tone, "you'll have to let me eat it off of your body."

Senji's eyes went wide, and his face turned a deep red. "W-wha-?"

"But I should warn you now... I always lick my plate clean," Vulture interrupted and licked his lips, tacking on a final sexual comment to drive his point home.

If his blush could have gotten any darker it would have, but instead it could only spread further across his face. Senji was rendered speechless by Vulture's direct comment, and he quickly shoved the first morsel of food that he could reach into his mouth in an attempt to hide the fact. _"D-did he really just-? He couldn't have been serious, right!?" _Senji's thoughts were racing, and images of himself lying naked and prone with only food to cover his shameful parts kept popping into his mind. _"N-no! No way would I let him do something like __**that!"**_ he yelled at his own musings, but despite his protest the image continued as Vulture slowly, teasingly wrapped his tongue around the first piece of food and drew it into his mouth, and started exposing Senji's body bit by bit - or rather, bite by bite.

It wasn't as though Vulture seriously expected that Crow would go for it - not that he would complain if he did - but rather Vulture knew that this was the best and easiest way to get the man off his case about eating. But what Vulture wasn't expecting, was that his words would have Crow squirming on the bed uncomfortably as if he was having a major internal struggle over it, and that Vulture, consequently, would be too intrigued to leave. "So, Crow?" Vulture called, his tone unfaltering as he raised an eyebrow expectantly, "What do you say?"

"N-no!" Senji exclaimed, practically choking on the chunk of food in his mouth.

"Pity," Vulture replied, then for a moment turned away in thought, "But I guess... it is part of my purpose to stay healthy." Vulture sighed and turned his gaze back towards Crow and the piles of food, "You win, Crow. I'll stay." Slowly, and still a little warily, Vulture returned to the bedside, and without looking towards the platters of food reached down and grabbed something - anything - and popped it into his mouth. He didn't bother to chew, or to taste, and simply forced himself to swallow the morsel whole.

Senji watched a little perplexed as Vulture so hurriedly devoured an entire steak, for a moment marveling at the man's lack of a gag reflex - but that particular marvel soon sent a thrilling rush down into his pants. If he could easily fit that much meat surely he could manage- _"No!"_ he growled at his thoughts as they once again went astray. Senji did _**not**_ want to envision Vulture taking him into his mouth... did he?

Audibly Vulture growled, and once again he found it exceptionally hard not to spit on the floor. The taste of meat still troubled him when he was in his right state of mind off stage... How he managed to delve deep into into madness to devour freshly ripped hearts amazed him. But all was done to ensure his survival. Vulture struggled to wipe the taste away, almost recklessly running his tongue over his teeth and through his mouth until it finally faded.

Senji's thoughts were ripped asunder by Vulture's display of discomfort, and he found himself wondering more why someone would be so displeased by the taste of food. "Vulture?"

With his lips still pulled back into a slight sneer Vulture set his attention back on Crow, and met the man's look of worry with a plain and simple, "Yes?"

"Are you... okay?"

"... I'm fine," Vulture stated after a momentary pause, though on the inside he was filled with disgust - and it showed. His eyes were watering and his thin frame was visibly shuddering, and with a close enough look it was easy to tell that his heart was racing.

It was an obvious lie, and there was no way that Senji would stand for it. "No, you're not," he replied, firmly, "What's wrong?" It was more of a demand to be told rather than a question, but despite the stern tone Senji's eyes held a glimpse of concern.

Again Vulture flicked his tongue over his teeth, though the taste was long faded it seemed that the thought alone revived it. "There's a reason that Aya stopped eating," Vulture answered, too disturbed by food to realize how he had worded it, "And even I have trouble dealing with it..."

Vulture's words clicked something in Senji's mind. _"Vulture referred to Aya as if they were... separate..."_ Senji noted, and looked back to his earlier thoughts of Jekyll and Hyde. If ever he would have an opportunity to ask, this was it. "What do you mean, 'Aya stopped eating'..?" Senji inquired, confident that he had Vulture in a place where he would have little choice but to answer.

"..." Vulture remained silent for a moment. As rare as he truly spoke to anyone he had never thought that one day he would be presented with such a situation. It was easy enough for him to understand his own mind, but to help someone else understand..? "Hmm..." Vulture droned audibly and tapped a bandaged finger against his lower lip. How could he possibly word this? How could he even _**begin**_ to explain it? "I guess you could say I'm like an alternate form of Aya..?" Vulture started unsurely, and shook his head, "Mm, no, that's not quite right..."

Senji watched him intently, almost finding it hard to believe that it was so easy to make him talk. He had expected to find some resistance to the question, or for Vulture to deflect or try to conceal the truth.

"Ah, I got it..!" Vulture nearly exclaimed as it clicked, "I'm what you might call Aya's personified survival instincts. Without Aya I am nothing. Without me, Aya would probably perish."

Though he tried to understand, Senji's face grew puzzled. "So... you're still the same person then?"

Again Vulture placed his fingertip to his lower lip, and for a while he silenced in deep thought. Was he still Aya? Or was he just a part of Aya..? He couldn't say that he wasn't a part of Aya, but even so he was very different from Aya himself. Before the tragic incident that brought Aya here he was always so kind, and gentle... Of course Vulture didn't obtain his name until the first carnival corpse, but he had been present a little while before. Poor Aya... after the loss of his love his mind was already shattering... He had fallen into despair, and given up on everything... That's how he was born - Vulture. When Aya had given up on everything Vulture stood fast and clung to life, doing whatever was necessary to survive - _**whatever**_ was necessary. But after the chaos caused by the Red Hole Incident, Aya was given all of the blame for what had happened, even though he - or rather, Vulture - was only responsible for a single life... One life to save Aya's, that's what it was supposed to be... But then he had been brought here, to Deadman Wonderland, and to keep Aya alive Vulture had had to kill, repeatedly, sacrificing his own fragmented sanity to save Aya from any more trauma. With his conclusive thoughts set, Vulture turned his attention back to Crow. "No, I'm not," he answered, "I am barely what you would call a 'person' to begin with. I am just a force of will that has found the need to take over time and time again. Before coming here I didn't even have a name for myself, I was just the bare, primal instinct of survival clinging to life and willing to fight for it. But here, in this twisted nightmare, every day is a struggle to live. Perhaps one day the atrocities of this rancid pit will be revealed, and those left standing will finally be freed. But even then I am not sure if Aya could stand on his own... If so then I suppose I won't be needed any longer, but after all that's happened I doubt he could manage... Aya is a broken man with a life immersed in tragedy, and I am just a fragment of his mind that had to develop a mind of its own in order to keep on surviving. Though, even for a fragment I can admit that I'm just as cracked and broken as Aya..."

Through the silence, and through Vulture's long explanation, Senji had munched on the feast set before him. Slowly it had started to make sense, even if it was still a little nuts - but in this place what wasn't nuts? As Vulture silenced Senji swallowed, and voiced a curious question that had popped into his mind, "So what would happen to you then, if Aya no longer needed you?"

The question piqued Vulture's interest, and with a grin he turned to Crow. "Aw, would you miss me?" Vulture teased, laughing at the shocked and embarrassed look on Crow's face before giving an answer, "I honestly don't know what would happen. I may just revert to an unconscious state of mind as simple as instinct, or perhaps I would just go dormant in Aya's mind until his life is once again in danger and be retained as I am now. Though truthfully I still find it hard to see Aya standing on his own after what he went through... I may just remain as I am until I finally fail in my purpose."

"Your purpose?" Senji inquired.

"Keeping Aya alive - no matter what I must suffer through," Vulture answered, his voice serious and almost sounding dangerous with his deep, low tone, "If I must kill then I shall kill without a second thought and turn it into a gruesome spectacle, which Carnival Corpse has made quite easy. If I must act a raving madman to instill fear in those around me then I shall be the most ruthless convict in this prison, and may the rest have nightmares of my very existence as my maniacal laughter echoes through these halls..."

"Che, not much point in going through all of that if you're just going to starve," Senji remarked, bluntly. If he was willing to do so much to survive, eating should be easy!

Vulture raised a curious eyebrow, and in defiance he grabbed the nearest bite of food and swallowed it down in one gulp. "You almost sound like you're concerned, Crow," Vulture claimed, smoothly despite the lump that was dropping down his throat.

Senji's expression greatly altered as he watched the bulge of rice ball slip down Vulture's neck. It was almost disturbing to witness such a thing, but at the same time it was fascinating to see such skill. _"Where did he __**learn**__ such a thing..?" _ Senji wondered, but quickly turned the thoughts away - he still had to answer Vulture's question. "You saved my life, remember?" Senji stated, "I'd be a complete ass if I didn't show a bit of concern."

A smirk played at Vulture's lips. "Oh I don't know, you can still be an ass at times," he commented humorously, then dropped his tone to a more lurid nature, "But you're still a nice ass."

"Sh-shut up!" Senji growled, his cheeks slightly reddened.

"Aw but you're so fun to tease, Crow. In fact..." Vulture replied, grinning as a new idea struck him. Curling his finger to make use of the unbandaged knuckle, Vulture scooped up a glob of icing from a desert cupcake, and placed it on Crow's cheek. "I feel like doing one more thing to tease you before I take my leave," Vulture continued, smirking at the confused and fearful look on Crow's face as the icing was smeared precariously close to his lips.

"Wait, what are you-?" Senji started to ask until he felt Vulture slowly lick the icing off, starting from the corner of his lips and raising up across his cheek, "A-ah!" With a slight jerk Senji tilted his head back, but rather than moving away from Vulture he had pressed his cheek more against the other man's tongue. It felt even better than the first time...

"Mm, delicious," Vulture commented in Crow's ear, and pulled away with a smirk, "Both the taste, and the moan."

With an almost glowing blush Senji turned to him, with a look lost between hatred, humiliation, and desire. "B-bastard!" he growled, torn between a want to kill him, and an urge to kiss him.

"Consider that repayment for buying you dinner," Vulture responded casually, "It's a small price to pay, don't you think?" With his smirk remaining, Vulture turned towards the door and walked away, but halted as he reached the door and turned back around. "I'll check on you again soon, Crow," he stated, and without waiting for a response he slipped out the door.

"_That jerk!"_ Senji mentally roared, _"He licks me - __**again! - **__and then he just up and leaves!?" _... wait. Why was he more upset about Vulture leaving than the lick..? Did he... did he really want Vulture to stay? Even moreso _**because**_ of the lick? _"N-no, there's no fucking way! I don't care that he left - I'm glad he did! ... aren't I?" _Senji's eyes went downcast. He wasn't glad at all - he felt... empty? _"No, it's not that..." _It was a strange and unfamiliar feeling, a pesky knot in the pit of his gut that filled him with a mix of frustration and... longing? _"Am I... horny for the bastard..? No, I can't be! It's the food, that's it! I didn't eat for three days after all, it has to be the food!" _

Try as he might to rationalize it, the sizeable bulge hidden under the covers shows otherwise...

* * *

**A/N: So! The truth of Vulture's nature has been revealed! And a tiny shred of light has been given for the cause of his anorexia - that shred of light being that for some unknown reason or other, Aya had stopped eating, and that eating now abhors him.**

**Hehe, frustrated Senji is rather amusing. **


	6. The Battle of Wills

**A/N: T'as been a while... again. But I do believe this chapter will make up for the fact - I'm implementing a small time lapse, and we get another Carnival Corpse battle! But I decided to depict this one as something being watched on the screen, so all Carnival Corpse related material shall be in bold... Except for the A/N's... **

**On with the show!**

* * *

For two full weeks Senji was stuck in recovery - though he was lucky enough to return to his room after the first week - and just as Vulture had said he stopped by to check up on him multiple times. It seemed like every day Vulture would spend at least an hour there, if not more, and though Senji spent a majority of that time struggling with Vulture's constant flirts and teases it was actually enjoyable overall. Despite being a complete madman Vulture was highly intelligent, and he was more than willing to share his theories and discoveries regarding the strange power that had changed both of their lives. There was little that Senji could fully understand of course, since he was more a man of action than thought, but Vulture always devised some sort of way to simplify things for him. It was enlightening when their conversations would stray in such a direction, but it was far less thrilling than their true topic of choice: the detailed retelling of previous battles. It was one thing that they definitely had in common, the love of fighting, of pushing themselves to the limit, of struggling for life, and both men would tell story after story to try and outdo the other.

But then, there other times as well... On occasion it wasn't Vulture present at all, but Aya. As rare as these moments were they usually came as a shock to Senji, but within those two weeks he had grown familiar with the differences between them. The easiest way to tell them apart was how they would address him - Vulture would refer to him as Crow, while Aya would refer to him by name - but after spending enough time with them both Senji had picked up on a few other details as well. Aya was much less flirtatious for one, or at least he was more subtle with his occasional compliments, and rather than the wild grin and the madman's cackle Aya was more prone to faint smiles and quiet laughter. He was gentle in nature, to the point that even their shared eyes seemed to soften when Aya was present, and he would often ask if there was anything he could do to make Senji more comfortable. But the main thing that Senji had noticed was that Aya always seemed to be hiding a sort of sadness... He could only guess that it must be some sort of deep-seeded loneliness, but given his lack of experience in such things it could only be just that - a guess. Even so Senji enjoyed Aya's company, and it seemed like Aya greatly enjoyed Senji's company as well. But today, Senji knew, there would be no visit... Vulture had been chosen once again to enter Carnival Corpse, so rather than watching his bedroom door Senji had been watching the screen, nervously waiting for the match to begin. Wait... had he really been watching the _**door**_ during the past few days?

With a sigh Senji leaned back against the large, fluffy pillow that Aya had gotten for him, and he idly ran his fingers through his dark, spiky hair. There was little point in denying it anymore... Of course he had been watching the door - it was extremely boring to just lay there all day long! And in many ways he had grown fond of them! Aya's genuine concern for him had been... nice, if a little unnecessary at times, and it had been a good while since anyone gave a rat's ass about him. Not only that, Senji had gained a certain level of concern for Aya as well. Each time they had stopped by Aya had made sure to bring Senji some type of meal from the cafeteria, and Senji would refuse to eat a single bite until one of them at least attempted to try something. Eventually, Senji was sure, he would have Aya looking at least half-healthy.

And as for Vulture... Senji visibly frowned as he continued to watch the prequel show to Carnival Corpse: a collection of clips and highlights from the best battles and the most gruesome of deaths that were meant to rile up the audience before the main event. There was little known of Vulture's next opponent - only that he was a mysterious newcomer who held a lot of promise with the name of "Firefinch" - and Vulture's absent talons were a necessary part of his battle form... Senji had plenty of reason to feel worried, but even so he felt like an idiot for doing so. It was Vulture for crying out loud! Even without his preferred technique the man was a monster in the arena - he would be fine! ... right? With a lingering twinge of pain Senji rolled onto his side for a better view of the screen, and rested his head on his hand as his elbow dug into the pillow to support him. "Vulture..." Senji murmured out loud, then sighed; it was strange to think that he was actually missing the attention as much as he was, even the dirty comments... _**especially**_ the dirty comments. A deep blush spread over Senji cheeks, and again he frowned. _"Dammit all. At this rate I..." _Senji sharply shook his head as his thoughts yet again went astray, but he could no longer simply deny it; in some strange way he was actually falling for Vulture, though he was fairly certain that it was more of a sexual attraction than anything else... _"He'd better win this... If not I'm kickin' his skinny little ass..!"_

"**Hello! Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you for coming to... Carnival Corpse!"**

"Finally..!" Senji exclaimed as the introduction to Carnival Corpse sounded from the TV. Instantly his eyes were glued to the screen, and within moments the man of his thoughts was shown.

**With his usual psychotic laughter Vulture stepped out of the starting cage, and with eager eyes he peered into the cage opposite of him. He looked confident, and imposing, especially with his newly chosen battle attire. Vulture's previous cloak had been ruined with their last battle, and he had taken Senji's comments about loose clothing being a poor choice for a fight to heart - and now, of course, he had nothing left to hide. Rather than masking his excessively skinny frame Vulture now partially revealed it, with a black, tight-fitting long sleeve shirt with rips in the top at both shoulders, allowing the protruding bones to stick out into clear view, and the form-fitting design ensured that both his rib cage and his spine could be seen in the fabric. Matching the style of the shirt were a pair of black pants, with similar rips set at both knees to reveal the detail of their boney structure, and apparently he had made the decision to fight barefoot. The only thing that remained the same - aside from Vulture himself - was his madman's top hat, still set slightly askew.**

"_He looks... young,"_ Senji remarked to himself. When he had first seen Vulture, he was shrouded in an oversized cloak, and even with the visits paid through the past two weeks his refined choice of attire made him appear older. But now, wearing what practically looked like street clothes, he seemed so much more youthful, near his early twenties possibly. In many ways it was a relief, and though Senji still felt awkward about his attraction towards the eccentric madman at least he wasn't fighting an interest in some crazy old man.

**After Vulture's introduction the screen finally panned over to the newcomer, and gave the world of Deadman Wonderland its first look at the newest addition. His multi-toned hair was like wildfire, with spiked red-orange locks rising like flames into the air with blackened, smokey tips. His stature was decently tall, with a lean by obviously well toned frame that was nicely displayed by his tight orange muscle top. Loose-fitting black pants with two orange strips going down either side wrapped around his legs , and tucked into a pair of thick black combat boots. He stood strong, ready, and on the outside he appeared to be completely unphased by the maniacal demeanor of his opponent. **

**Finally, the screen split to show both combatants, and the announcer made the call for them to prepare. By use of his sharpened teeth Vulture tore open the center of his palms, and allowed the blood to trickle out in thick streams that pooled on either side of his feet. Once the formation was complete the end of the blood remained attached the the gash in Vulture's palm, and the massive coil appeared to slowly start spinning. As for the newcomer, he merely stepped forward and sank into a low fighting stance, his shoulders relaxed while he held his arms out in front of him, one high and one low. No blood was drawn, but soon enough to announcer's voice rang out, "Fight!"**

**Like two rising serpents Vulture's Bloodwire coils rose from the pools, and lunged themselves in Firefinch's direction. The cameras carefully followed, but even as the coils drew closer Firefinch stood his ground. Dust and bits of the solid floor flung out in all directions as the coils made contact, as if the thick mass was drilling into the ground. Sharply Vulture jerked his hands back, calling the thick lines of twisted Bloodwire back to his side.**

"**Is it over already!?" the announcer exclaimed as the cameras zoomed into the fading dust, "Wait! No! Firefinch is still alive!"**

**With a smug smirk Firefinch stood between two shallow ravines that were dug into the floor, with nothing more than a scratch on each of his arms. **

"**What!?" Vulture growled as the cameras switched him into view. His sharpened teeth were baring down to the point that he had pierced the corner of his bottom lip, and a small trail of blood streamed down to his chin. All trace of his usual wild grin and excited eyes were missing, replaced with a curling sneer and intense murderous eyes**.

"**Vulture's attack **_**missed!" **_**the announcer cried, sounding almost a little bit shocked.**

"Impossible!" Senji yelled at the TV screen and sat up sharply, "Dammit, Vulture, get your head together! Or lose it! Whatever the hell works!" In all of Senji's experience with Vulture the man was always dead center with his strikes! He wouldn't let his attacks fall short and completely miss his opponent! And there was no possible way for that strike to have been blocked or deflected after the damage it caused to the floor!

**As Vulture prepared for a second strike the cameras switched to a full view of the battlefield. With fervor he lunged his open palms forward at an upward angle, and sent the Bloodwire coils high into the air. The two lines moved in perfect symmetry, clashing together and swerving around each other as they closed in on Firefinch yet again. The attack hit high, rather than low, but still Firefinch stood his ground. **

**With his arms raised Firefinch prepared to block the attack, but just as the Bloodwire coils came into contact and bit into his flesh the ends rerouted, and slammed into the ground beside him. **

"**I'll rip you apart!" Vulture roared, loud enough to overpower the announcer's commentation. Instantly the two twisted Bloodwire coils sprung into life, rising from the dents they had drilled into the ground and striking at Firefinch's open torso. **

**There was no time for Firefinch to move, and the Bloodwire coils struck a direct hit on both of his sides, but even without use of his arms the Bloodwire flung back and away the moment they broke his skin. **

"**Vulture's attacks continue to fail! Could it be thanks to Firefinch's branch of sin!?"**

**Again Vulture's Bloodwire lashed out at Firefinch, striking him over and over from all directions but barely breaking the skin each time. But Vulture's assault was relentless, and every time his Bloodwire coils whisked away from their target he would sent them straight back, the spinning wires cutting out tiny chunks of Firefinch's flesh and leaving behind countless minor wounds. **

"**What's this!? Firefinch is looking weary!" the announcer called as Vulture's incessant attacks managed to inflict deeper and heavier wounds.**

**But Firefinch made no attempt to move aside, or dodge, or even to block. He just stood there, baring his teeth as his body succumbed to more and more damage. The cameras zoomed in closely, and panned over the growing extent of his wounds. His arms, legs, and chest were covered in small nicks of missing flesh, his clothing was being torn to shreds, and even his face had taken a beating of scratches, but not a single drop of blood was seen dripping from his wounds.**

"_The kid should be bleeding waterfalls by now!" _Senji thought to himself as he continued to watch the fight. It was hard to believe that Vulture's attacks were inflicting such little damage, and by the looks of things even Vulture was getting uneasy.

**The cameras jumped back to a full view of the battlefield, as Vulture's Bloodwire continued in their relentless assault. But suddenly, things took an unexpected turn. Though he remained still for the entire battle, Firefinch finally made a move. He closed his stance and stood tall, leaving his fighting stance completely as he stretched his arm forward. With his palm raised into the air he made a quick jerking motion and clenched his fist, and in time with is movements Vulture's Branch of Sin ceased to move and fell motionless to the ground.**

**The camera focus went straight to Vulture, who now stared at his own weapon in shock. His outstretched hands twitched, attempting to maneuver the Bloodwire back into action, but it ended in failure. **

"**My turn," Firefinch called out, the screen returning to him as he spoke. It was clear that he was in no small amount of pain after the beating he had taken, but even so the arrogant smirk had remained plastered on his lips. Firefinch laughed as Vulture's Bloodwire raised into the air and stumbled around him, swishing about in the air in an uncharacteristically rigid manner. **

**The camera switched back to a full view of Vulture, who was now staring at his open palms with a look of disbelief. Seen over his shoulder were the two Bloodwire coils, still moving in their awkward fashion even as Vulture held his hands still.**

"_His Branch of Sin was taken over..." _Senji realized with a chilling feeling of dread. All of Vulture's fighting skill was entirely devoted to his Bloodwire - without it, he didn't stand a chance, even in a normal battle. But something like this... _"If he doesn't think of something fast, he'll be-" _Even Senji's thoughts choked as a dark image filled his mind: Vulture, shredded to bits by his own Branch of Sin. _"No..."_

"**What's going on..!? Is Vulture attacking himself!?" the commentation rang through the TV's speakers, as the Bloodwire coils turned on their master.**

**All cams were on Vulture now, his body shaking in rage as the Bloodwire coils closed in. With a low, rumbling shout Vulture raised his palms towards the incoming wire, using the end that remained attached to his hands to deflect the attack. Another strike, but Vulture managed to block it straight-on and jump back before it could come into contact with his body. One good hit was all it would take to end this battle, and it was clear that Vulture wasn't ready to let a single attack land on him.**

"**Vulture is dodging his own attacks! Has he completely lost it!?"**

**The strikes continued, but due to the rigid, unnatural movements of the Bloodwire the aim was off, and Vulture continued to avoid the incoming Bloodwire coils. **

Senji couldn't take his eyes off of the screen - even if he had wanted to. Now sitting on the edge of his seat he clenched his fist around the edge of the mattress, his grip tightening further and further until his dark-skinned knuckles were a bright white. "Come on, Vulture..!" Senji said out loud with worry in his voice, and continued to watch as Vulture struggled to dodge. The attacks had started off weak, and unrefined, but they had started to get better, to the point that Vulture was actually taking damage from narrow misses. Senji was close to yelling at Vulture to do something, but before he could he finally noticed something. _"The Bloodwire... they're getting shorter..?"_

**The cameras finally put their focus on the full scale of the arena, and soon became clear. The Bloodwire strikes had been coming in from a closer, and closer starting point, as if Vulture was slowly reeling the renegade coils back in. But as he did this, the attacks became harder and harder for him to avoid... The screen was zoomed in on Vulture as he just barely avoided a strike that was meant for his neck, and though he avoided the brunt of the damage by ducking back the tip of the Bloodwire line still lashed across his face, the spinning drill-like movements cutting away the flesh of his cheeks and ripping apart a thin line of cartilage from the bridge his nose to leave a diagonal cut. With a growl Vulture glared at the other combatant, and the cameras gave a clear view as his eye actually twitched. "You..." Vulture said darkly through gritted teeth, "You'll pay for that!" Vulture drew his hands back sharply, and quickly drew in the last remaining half of the Bloodwire coils, but as his Branch of Sin returned he dropped to his knees and shook with a pained cry.**

"No..!" Senji called out, his light grey eyes staring intently at the screen as the cameras gave an aerial view of Vulture, now fallen to the floor completely as he writhed and cried out in agony. An unfamiliar moisture pooled in the corners of Senji's eyes and his breath faltered, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't turn away. In any other moment, Senji would have questioned why it even mattered to him this much, why he was near to tears, why he couldn't breath, why his heart was pounding, why he felt the fear of losing someone important to him, but for now, those where the least of his worries...

**Blood began spurting out of Vulture's wounds, from the cut on his face and the gashes in his palms to the small nicks and scratches he had received while dodging the Bloodwire coils. The bleeding started in small mists, spraying out in all directions while Vulture continued to convulse in agony, but soon the blood was being forced out in large quantities that ejected from Vulture's body and smeared onto the floor around him. Even the announcer was silent, and the other combatant wasn't making a single move even though Vulture was down... The cameras simply remained on Vulture, displaying his pain for all of Deadman Wonderland to see... But soon enough Vulture grew still, the only movements to be seen coming from his chest as he heavily panted to try and catch his breath. **

"**Is this... is this the end of Vulture!?" the commentator exclaimed.**

**Vulture's closed eyes popped open the moment that the announcer spoke, and as if being defiant he mouthed the words, "Fuck you." Slowly Vulture rose, at first kneeling on the ground before forcing his body to stand. At first Vulture appeared to be in a state of pure rage, his shoulders still shaking as he glared at Firefinch with a heated growl. But slowly, Vulture calmed, and his demeanor locked itself in an eerie, deathly focus. For the first time on stage Vulture looked serious, his eyes cold and his face expressionless.**

"**Has Vulture finally snapped back to sanity!?"**

**Calmly Vulture entered a set fighting stance, with his arms set out straight to form two perfect 90 degree angles on either side with his outstretched palms facing straight forward. His eyes were downcast, with long silver bangs shrouding his emotionless face. Once again he brought his Bloodwire coils to life, but with a clear view of his stance and hands it was easy for the trained eye to tell that the coils were no longer spinning. "I should have realized sooner..." Vulture said aloud in a shallow whisper, and raised his empty gaze back to his opponent.**

**The screen panned back to Firefinch, and with a look of fear and bewilderment in his widened eyes he took a step back. Whatever had been going on before, it became clear that Firefinch had lost. **

Senji had breathed a sigh of relief as Vulture made it back to his feet, but the fight still wasn't over...

**Vulture closed his eyes for a moment as the camera set its focus back to him, and a single Bloodwire coil reformed from the hole in his left palm. With a quick lunge of his hand the Bloodwire line moved towards Firefinch, and the camera followed after, but rather than drilling into his flesh the wire wrapped around his neck, coiling around the only place on his body that had been free of injury. **

**Firefinch struggled as the coil enclosed tighter and tighter around his neck, and he desperately placed one of his bleeding hand on the Bloodwire.**

"**Uh-uh-uh," Vulture said in a condescending tone as he approached, and with his right hand he latched onto Firefinch's wrist to pull it away from his Branch of Sin, "We won't be having any more of that." With a smirk Vulture licked his lips, and eyed Firefinch's chest hungrily. "It's been a while since I've had a strong meal..." he stated, and flashed his tongue back over his sharp daggerlike teeth as he released his opponent's wrist, "I think I'll reach in and take it by hand this time."**

A frown set itself on Senji's lips as the screen displayed all of Vulture's actions and his words. _"Reach in and take it by hand, huh? ... bastard..." _Senji growled inwardly as he picked up an innuendo in Vulture's comment.

"**This is it! Vulture is making his final move!" the announcer cried, giddy and excited.**

"**Die," Vulture said plainly, and with a quick, forceful jab he plunged his hand into Firefinch's chest, breaking into the skin from a previously placed cut and delving his fingers underneath his ribs. The cameras zoomed in on Firefinch's torso as he choked and coughed up blood, and within seconds Vulture's entire hand disappeared into his body. Blood oozed from the deep wound and poured down Vulture's arm and Firefinch's torso, and splattered to the floor with a loud splash. Sharply Vulture ripped his hand back, with Firefinch's still-beating heart clenched in his fist. With a grin Vulture stared into his victim's eyes, and as the life faded from them he bit into the center of the heart. Blood squirted forth from the punctures as the heart gave its final few beats, and as Vulture bit in deeper more blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. A few more bites, and all that remained of the heart was a smidgeon of tissue and a few veins.**

"**Victory goes to the devourer of hearts, Vulture!" **

**With his win declared Vulture carelessly dropped Firefinch's body to the floor, and turned around to take his leave. But before he could take that first step he was halted by a weak, but unrelenting grasp around his ankle. **

**The camera panned down to show Firefinch, still alive if only just, and glaring up at Vulture with a look of unwavering determination. "I won't die so easily..." Firefinch choked out hoarsely, before being overtaken by a fit of coughing blood. **

**The cold, cruel look of evil returned to Vulture's eyes, and without a single show of emotion he kicked Firefinch away, and the screen faded to black...**

Carnival Corpse was over, and Vulture had won. Finally Crow was able to relax, and with a deep sigh he fell back against the bed and stared at the ceiling. "That was... intense," he mumbled to himself, exhausted, and closed his eyes. _"I'm still gonna kick his ass though."_

* * *

**A/N: Hehehe, I simply couldn't resist throwing in that tinge of jealousy with Crow. And for those of who didn't catch the innuendo in question: "reach in and take it by hand" can refer to reaching into a man's pants to touch him and turn him on - for people with dirty minds at least. And Vulture has a very dirty mind... and Senji knows this by now.**

**Also, I just want to make a personal comment... Going through the detail of Vulture ripping out poor Firefinch's heart... was awesome. Even I felt a weird twisting feeling in my gut when I typed it out, and I hope that my dear readers did too! Of course, I for one deeply enjoy that twisted feeling... *grins***


	7. The Allure of Lust

**A/N: Before I begin, I've a very special thanks to shout out! Recently Vulture was reviewed by a fellow author whose story (An American Deadman in Wonderland) I absolutely love! Mcpidy! I STILL cannot express my thanks in words! To be so positively reviewed by an author of an equal (if not higher) caliber has exhilarated my passion for writing! For those've you who've not read An American Deadman in Wonderland, I highly recommend it!**

**Also, in response to the reviews and comments centered on Firefinch I will say that I do have **_**something **_**in the works for him! In fact, that **_**something**_** was my very first idea for a DMW fic! But Vulture was just too damn awesome to keep to a one-shot and soon the first idea was put on hold. In fact, I'll eventually be re-writing the fight from the previous chapter... Eventually.**

**But for now, I know that this one took ages to push out. BUT, trust me when I say tis worth the wait because... 'Heads up' warning! This chapter contains a great deal of yaoi.**

* * *

Four days after the battle, and still Vulture was shaking. Not in fear, of course, but literally. The physical toll of combating Firefinch's Branch of Sin was... astounding. After the fight Vulture had needed only a few bandages for most of the injuries sustained, with just a single exception: the deep cut across his face. "Hideous..." Vulture seethed as he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror of his cell. With a subtle frown he trailed his recently-unbandaged fingertip along the line of stitches that stretched from cheek to cheek and crossed the bridge of his nose. The scar would no doubt remain there forever, always reminding him of his almost-failure. But the real damage - aside from aesthetical damage, at least - was in his blood...

Filtering Deadman Wonderland's poison from his veins was one thing, but filtering out the blood of a fellow Deadman? Now that was proving to be a challenge... Vulture could still feel it from time to time, a burning, powerful force searing his insides and trying to seize all control. Firefinch... How he could survive without a heart Vulture wasn't sure, but he knew for a fact that somehow or other that smug little bastard was still kicking. Vulture bared his teeth as the overwhelming sensation took over once again, and he tightly gripped the edge of the counter as his body started to shake. Firefinch's blood was still mixed within Vulture's own, and as the cells multiplied and gained in number they would once again try to take over Vulture's body... It felt as though his insides were on fire - his blood, his heart, his lungs, his brain, every fiber of his being was engulfed in a searing inferno of agony. It took all of his strength and will to stay calm and keep from crying out, and eventually he forced his body to stay still; he had to stay focused, if he was to survive...

Gradually Vulture took control of his blood and forged every drop into a continuous Bloodwire line that coursed through his veins and beneath his skin. _"Focus..."_ Vulture repeated to himself to keep his mind steady, as a single mistake made in this process could easily spell death. The Bloodwire started to move in tune with the frantic beating of his heart, and as his forged blood flowed through his body all else within was slowly siphoned into one location - the center of his hand. Gradually the pain was condensed, taken from his organs and his bloodstream and brought to a focal point in his right palm. Slender fingers curled and closed together as the burning sensation was amplified, leaving just enough room for Vulture to gouge a single sharpened tooth into the flesh. As he held his hand over the sink a dark blackish-green fluid started to ooze from the wound like a thick syrup, and shortly after deep red blood followed after. Poison, followed by the blood of an unwanted donor - Firefinch.

Eventually the two liquids ceased to flow, and the pain was gone. Twice, if not thrice a day since the battle Vulture had done this, and as a result he had to remain in his cell or risk having another pitiful 'episode' out in public... It was getting easier, at least; rather than lasting for hours on end like the first couple of days he had devised a way to end it in minutes, though the technique hadn't quite been perfected...

A frown settled on Vulture's lips as his attention returned to the mirror, and again he poked at the stitches on his face. "I wonder... if I'm well enough to venture out of my cage yet?" he muttered aloud, and with a heavy sigh he crept back to his bed, happy to leave the bathroom and his reflection behind, but still miserable to remain enclosed within the same four walls... When he had first arrived in Deadman Wonderland it had hardly been a problem to remain confined in his own space - after all he didn't particularly care to socialize with anyone until recently - but now that once peaceful loneliness happened to be driving him crazy... or, crazier, in this case. With dull, bored eyes Vulture scanned the room: the pale gray walls and white tiled floor, the full-sized bed tucked against the far wall with subtle pale blue bedding, the large wooden drawers that held his clothes as well as his numerous Carnival Corpse trophies, and finally the small love-seat that often served as his sitting perch. So far as a prison cell goes it was actually quite nice, and in simple taste despite the room's eccentric occupant, but after becoming so accustomed to leaving his room on a daily basis, today Vulture found it very... frustrating. "Alright, that settles it! I cannot possibly bear another second alone in this pit..." Vulture declared, his deep voice echoing through the empty room which only worked his nerves further, "Besides, I've been meaning to pay Crow a visit for a while now." With a subtle smirk Vulture took leave of his cell, his course set straight for Crow's.

However, as Vulture would soon find, the infamous Crow had also felt the itch to leave his nest. The long weeks of Senji's recovery had dragged on forever, or so it felt, but the past few days had proven to be the worst... Vulture had yet to turn up after his last Carnival Corpse battle, and though at first Senji had been worried about him he was now... well, quite frankly he was pissed. _"Damned Vulture..!" _Senji inwardly growled as he struck another dead-center hit on the gym's punching bag. Already he had scoured every last nook and cranny of G-block that was publicly available to Deadmans, yet he hadn't seen or even heard any sign of Vulture. The only thing left would be going cell to cell until he finally found the lunatic's room, and that would be just plain ridiculous! _"The bastard can't even stop by for a fucking second!? Just to let me know that he's still alive!?" _his thoughts continued, fuming with rage as he dealt another powerful blow to the punching bag that ripped the fabric apart, and sent a pile of sand spilling onto the floor, _"Dammit!" _With a frustrated groan Senji struck a final punch to the emptied bag, and stormed back to his pile of belongings in the corner of the room. He sighed heavily as he wiped the beads of sweat from his brow, and rolled his shoulders to work out the stiffness. The sudden harsh training after weeks of inactivity had taken a toll on his muscles, but he had to do _**something**_ to work out his frustrations...

Of course, it hadn't helped. Whether he was angry, bored, or lonely - especially when he was lonely - all he could think about was the silver haired psychopath. A frown crossed his features as he idly ran his fingers through his dark spikes of hair, his hand stopping only once it reached the back of his neck, but the resulting chill sent his arm back down by his side. Recently that too had become one of Vulture's favorite targets, after his insanely long hair had happened to oh-so-lightly brush across it. Senji's cheeks darkened as he recalled the incident in detail...

_**Vulture made it a point to leave Senji as flustered as possible every after every visit, but the discovery of the sensitivity of his neck had been something of an accident. Vulture had leaned in close, very close, with his lips just barely touching Senji's cheek as he laid their discomposed and motionless after feeling the heat of Vulture's breath. "I know of a way to work your body out without even having to leave your bed, Crow, if you would just let me show you," Vulture had whispered, with his deep rumbling tone set low, and lurid. His tactics never failed, and as Senji stumbled out a few words to decline Vulture gave him his usual you're-no-fun pout and backed away, but as Vulture moved a single lock of his silvery hair had slipped over his shoulder. Of all the places for it to land it just had to be the center of Senji's neck, and as Vulture pulled away the evil strands of hair fluttered over his skin, causing a very light tingling sensation that shot straight down to his groin... Why, why, why did he have to shiver and moan at the same time? The intrigued look in Vulture's eyes when he heard such a pitiful, shaky, whimper of a noise was laced with desire, and with a sly smirk he moved closer yet again. "Mmm, well that was interesting," Vulture practically purred with his lips hovering just over Senji's neck, causing a flurry of tingling chills through Senji's paralyzed form, "I'll be sure to remember this for next time."**_

A faint, feather-light tickle teased Senji's neck, and with a slight jump he acknowledged the feeling's source... He growled to himself as he once again set his arm down at his side, and mentally cursed his body for reacting in such a way to something as simple as his thoughts. It was the same way that Vulture had touched his neck a few days after, and much to Senji's dismay, it had the exact same affect on his unaccustomed body - he was hard. "Dammit, Vulture..." he muttered to himself, just loud enough for a certain black-clad madman to overhear.

Vulture had been leaning against the doorframe for a while now, watching with piqued interest as Crow started to touch and tease his own neck. It was a truly delectable sight... Crow wearing nothing more than a pair of black workout shorts with his dark skin shimmering in sweat while he happened to be stroking one of his own turn-on spots... and all the better, he was even saying Vulture's name, damning or not. His lips pulled into a smirk as his eyes started to wander down Crow's exposed chest, and with his voice loud and clear he answered, "Yes, Crow?"

Instantly Senji's eyes went to the doorway, but the moment that he realized that it truly was Vulture there he sharply turned around. _"Sh-shit!"_ Senji cursed in his thoughts, now regretting his decision to spare his usual attire from the sweaty workout and further wishing that he hadn't lost control of his wayward arm, _"How long was he standing there!? Did he see me- Dammit! Of all times for him to show up why __**now**__!?"_

Quietly Vulture chuckled, and let his eyes wander the curves of Crow's backside as he waited for some sort of response. But Crow remained quiet, and tense, and though Vulture was certainly enjoying the view of Crow's muscled ass so tightly wrapped in a pair of shorts, the silence was quickly getting old. "Hmm..." Vulture called out idly, smirking playfully, "I think I find your backside just as intriguing as the front."

"Sh-shut up!" Senji retorted, his muscles tensing even further with his discomfort and thus, making them stand out all the more. _"Don't turn around, don't turn around, don't turn around..!"_ he repeated to himself as he fought the urge to remove his 'intriguing' backside from view, which would subsequently reveal his front.

"_He acts as though I caught him white-handed," _Vulture mused to himself as he assessed the extent of Crow's petrified reaction, _"Not that I would consider that a bad thing."_ For a while Vulture remained mute, responding only by clearly shutting the door as he walked in to announce that he wouldn't be leaving any time soon, but as the seconds ticked by the silence became too much. "So tell me, Crow..." Vulture called out as he continued eyeing the curves of the other man's muscled body, and smirking as his voice made him jump, "What makes you so easily flustered?"

"I just... I-I don't like the attention, okay!?"

"I doubt that's the case," Vulture replied with a curious brow raised, but received no other answer. _"Silence..?" _he thought to himself as a sly grin stretched over his lips, _"To think that he hasn't learned yet." _With quiet steps Vulture closed the distance between himself and Crow, stifling even his breath as he positioned himself directly behind him. In one fluid motion Vulture wrapped his slender hands around both of Crow's hips and pulled his body closer, while leaning up to carefully whisper in his ear. "I wonder, Crow... do you have _**any**_ experience to speak of?"

Senji's breath hitched in his throat as he felt Vulture's grasp, and a deep blush spread over his entire face as his bare skin was held firm against Vulture's clothed body. It was by far the most physical contact they had ever had, and Senji was torn between a mix of excitement and discomfort. In the end, it was too much, too fast, and instinctively Senji attempted to get away, but Vulture wasn't giving up so easily.

"Keep squirming around like this and you're going to turn me on," Vulture said quietly, his grasp unrelenting. Immediately Crow froze, and with a deep laugh Vulture stroked upwards along his hips to his sides, with slender fingertips tracing the forms of his muscles to the front as he lightly teased Crow's stomach and abs. "Answer me," Vulture murmured airily in his ear, "and I will release you..."

Senji's eyes clenched shut, and he bared his teeth to stifle a moan as Vulture so ruthlessly teased him. He felt vulnerable, helpless, even moreso than their second battle, and just as before he found the sensation inescapably... thrilling. It took most of his willpower to keep from responding, but as one of Vulture's hands ventured further up his chest and lightly danced across his nipple his focus was shaken, and a shallow moan escaped him. _"D-dammit!"_ Senji cursed in his thoughts, and with a threatening growl he once again tried to get out of Vulture's hold.

With a deep laugh Vulture held onto him tighter, and pressed his body firmly against Crow's bare skin. "Come now, Crow," Vulture murmured gently with his lips pressed to the other man's neck, "All I want is a simple answer to a simple question... Why are you so easily distressed, hm? What is it you're afraid of?"

Senji shivered as Vulture's lips moved against the most sensitive part of his neck, and against his own wishes his body leaned back against Vulture's for more contact. He couldn't possibly take any more of this, and through gritted teeth he finally muttered an answer. "It gets... bigger..." Senji practically whispered, his blush darkening even further as he admitted the source of his discomfort.

Vulture genuinely laughed as he heard such a humorous reply, and though he loosened his grip he wasn't yet willing to accept that as a valid answer. "Every man's cock gets bigger when he's aroused, Crow," he announced plainly.

The simplicity of Vulture's statement made it clear that it still wasn't enough to sate the madman's curiosity, and though he struggled with having to explain his answer Senji knew that it was the only way to put an end to Vulture's taunts. It had always caused him so much trouble... Any time he felt the slightest bit aroused it became a monstrous bulge between his legs, and at times it had been impossible to hide. It was horribly embarrassing! For years through his adolescent life he couldn't so much as look at a girl without getting an enormous hard-on, and every time someone happened to notice it! He was rejected, ridiculed, and pegged as some sort of sick pervert, despite his lacking experience! It never failed, and now - all thanks to Vulture - it had only gotten worse! _**Now**_ he had gotten a taste of pleasure, and not only did he have to fight the urges to want more, but it had gotten larger than ever before..! "It gets _**too**_ big!" Senji loudly hissed, his face now a deep red from both embarrassment, frustration, and rage.

Immediately a smirk spread across Vulture's features, his interest now fully piqued as he fully loosened his grasp, but still remained close. "Oh..?" Vulture called out, his deep voice carrying a lustful tone, "Let's see then."

"Huh..?" Senji stammered as Vulture's words sunk in. _"He wants to... __**see**__ it..?" _his mind finally registered, and the shock finally settled in. "N-No!" Senji heatedly refused, finding it hard to believe that Vulture had taken his teasing _**that**_ far.

"Very well..." Vulture quietly sighed as if he had decided to give up, but his smirk never faltered. With a few subtle moves of his hands he managed to slip his fingertips from Crow's chest and down beneath the hem of his shorts, and in a shallow whisper Vulture continued, "I suppose I'll have to find out for myself."

The very instant that Senji felt the other man's slender fingers slide along the curve of his hips he lunged forward to get away, and with a furious glare he sharply turned around to face him. "What the Hell are you trying to pull!?" Senji growled, raging.

With an innocent shrug of his shoulders Vulture casually took in the view, and after a few seconds of eyeing the size of Crow's bulging package he gave his answer. "Why, that of course," he replied plainly, and pointed to the other man's obvious erection.

Vulture's words hit Senji like an iron weight as the madman so ingeniously used his own words against him, and though the thought of being touched by Vulture did manage to further turn him on, it also served to further piss him off. "Would you fucking stop it already!?" Senji practically roared, his mental and physical frustration already building up beyond his boiling point.

"Mmm... no."

That was it - the final straw. The very second that Vulture had finished saying the word 'no' Senji lost his nerve, and in one lightning-fast move he charged towards Vulture with his fist aiming to strike him square in the face.

Crow's enraged punch struck Vulture dead center, and sent him straight to the cold floor of the workout room... It was an unexpected turn of events, but not even a hit to the face could put an end to Vulture's teasing. With a smirk the madman rose to his feet, and licked at the blood that trickled from the corner of his lip. "As much as you try to fight it, Crow, I believe _**that," **_Vulture remarked as he once again pointed to the hardened bulge in Crow's shorts, "sends a clear message. You enjoy it."

A bright blush crept over Senji's dark skin as Vulture so blatantly pointed the truth of the matter out to him... He _**did**_ enjoy Vulture's teasing, and he _**did**_ still try and fight it... But what else could he do? It was only teasing, right? Just a cruel way for Vulture to exploit Senji's weaknesses and get under his skin... Though still glaring Senji set his eyes downcast, and grumbled lowly under his breath.

"Hm..? You'll have to speak up if you want to be hard," Vulture remarked as he strained to understand, then with a smirk he 'corrected' himself, "I mean, heard."

Yet again Vulture's comment worked on Senji's last nerve, and with a furious glare he raised his gaze back to the madman. "You're always fucking with me!" he yelled through bared teeth, "And don't even think about grinning and saying that you _**want**_ to be fucking with me in that joking tone of yours! I can't even tell if you're ever being serious!" He had spoken long before he put any thought into his words, but as his voice resounded in his own mind Senji came to realize something... The one thing that bothered him the most, was the confusion. Vulture was impossible to read - after all he was clinically insane even by Deadman Wonderland's statures - and through everything he had never made it clear what his intentions truly were...

Vulture's smirk widened as a single thought came to mind and with a dark chuckle he slowly stepped closer, completely ignoring Crow's threatening growl as he closed the distance and slipped his arms back around Crow's waist, and pulled his body close enough to press his own hardened length against Crow's. The sudden tension in Crow's body doubled Vulture's amusement, but rather than displaying it he remained calm, and serious. "I wish I was fucking with you," Vulture whispered lowly as he leaned into Crow's ear, "I wish I could reach into those tight shorts and wrap my hand around your impressive length, teasing you, stroking you, pleasing you until I have your body shaking against mine and wanting more. I wish I could drag you to bed, Crow, and tie you up nice and tight to leave you completely helpless while I take my time getting a taste of your body, that sweat-laced neck and your ripped chest and abs, your smooth hips and your muscled thighs, and then I wish I could tear those shorts from you to leave you completely exposed to me so I could get a taste of your seed by sucking you dry. And after that, Crow, I wish I could roll your body backwards with your legs perched over my shoulders so I could taste your insides through your hot, throbbing back entrance, and then - only then - would I wish I could finally fuck you, as hard and as fast as I possibly can unless I find a rhythm beforehand that has you screaming my name in pleasure."

With near half of his body tinged red Senji froze, and all sense of thought and reason seemed to halt completely as every part of his body turned as stiff as stone - including his now fully-hardened cock. Never before had he heard such an explicit and lurid string of words, even from Vulture, and the uncharacteristic lack of humor in his tone made their effect all the more potent... Every detailed telling of Vulture's lustful desires sent a thrilled rush straight down to Senji's erection, with those final finishing comments sending jolts to places of Senji's tense body that he wasn't even sure had existed.

Crow's response was exactly as Vulture had wanted, but with a sly grin he suddenly moved away, leaving Crow to catch his own weight as his mental focus recovered. For a moment Vulture waited, watching Crow carefully for the first sign of cognitive thought. Finally, Crow's attention was set back on Vulture, and though the clearly stupefied gaze remained, he made his next move. "But wishes are just that, Crow: wishes.." Vulture commented idly as he turned around and took the first few steps towards the exit, "No matter how badly I may want you it doesn't mean that you'll be willing to give yourself to me, and I have no interest in taking you by force."

"_He's... leaving?"_ Senji's befuddled mind slowly processed, but the moment it all clicked the rage settled in yet again. Before Vulture could so much as lay a hand on the knob Senji tackled him, brutally slamming him facefirst against the door. "How dare you tease me like that!" he yelled angrily, and sharply spun Vulture around before roughly pinning him back against the door.

The impacts had knocked the very breath from Vulture's lungs, but after managing to catch his breath he looked a Crow with a subtle smirk. "Teasing you?" Vulture replied, a tad raspily as his deep tone lacked its usual smoothness after the sudden assault, but still sounding calm, "I was being serious."

Even with the answer Vulture's intent remained completely unclear, and it was far from satisfying. "Then prove it!" Senji demanded, sick and tired of the confusion and frustration of Vulture's little games.

"_Prove it..?" _Vulture mused to himself as an idea sparked in his mind, _"If he insists..." _Slowly Vulture raised his hand to the back of Crow's head, his fingers tangling in his spiked mess of hair to gain enough leverage to quickly pull him downwards. He met some resistance as Crow first tried to escape, but the moment that Vulture crashed their lips together Crow froze, his eyes wide and his lips parted as a surprised gasp escaped them. A smirk passed over Vulture's lips as the other man left himself so open, and he seized the advantage to slip his tongue into Crow's mouth.

A low moan rumbled in the back of Senji's throat as he gave in to the abrupt kiss, but any attempt made to return it was shot down as Vulture dominated his tongue and his mouth. Senji's inexperience left him incapable of fighting back, and the grip Vulture kept on his hair made it impossible for him to pull away. Still he refused to stand there and do nothing, and with a soft growl between their lips Senji set his hands on Vulture's slender, peaked hips to bring his body closer to roughly move against him; but just as Senji was growing comfortable with this new experience Vulture withdrew his tongue from Senji's mouth, and pulled both his hands and his lips away.

"Proof enough?" Vulture inquired, and flashed his tongue over his own lips with a smirk. He had hardly expected that Crow would respond so well - not that it was a bad thing, of course.

Senji's eyes narrowed as Vulture ended the kiss so suddenly, the heat of his own desires greatly rising as he leaned against Vulture's body to keep him pinned against the door as he clumsily, almost desperately pressed their lips back together. But Senji's kiss was met with no response as Vulture motionlessly stood there... Confusion set in quick, coupled with a sudden feeling of pain as Senji pulled back away, his dejected eyes dead set on Vulture. _"Was he... just toying with me..?"_

It was oddly amusing to Vulture as Crow managed to form something of a pout as he stared, and with a slight laugh Vulture leaned up to place a quick nip on the other male's bottom lip. "Have you forgotten where we are, Crow?" Vulture asked with a smirk, and with his arm wrapped around him he trailed a single fingertip up along Crow's spine, "I wouldn't call this very private. Unless you actually like that fact that anyone could happen across the scene were we to... _**do**_ anything."

"Uh... oh yeah..." Senji muttered, blushing darkly as he realized his own simple oversight. In the heat of the moment he seemed to have... forgotten... everything. It no longer mattered where they were or what exactly they were doing, or that he was hard as a rock and had been so shamelessly grinding himself against Vulture... All had been washed away by the thrill of pleasure, and he had lost himself to a powerful need to feel more of it, more of _**him.**_

With a smirk Vulture leaned up to place a sharp bite on Crow's neck, relishing in the sudden shaky moan that stumbled out of his mouth, but just before breaking the skin Vulture shifted, with his lips close to Crow's ear as he quietly asked, "Your room, or mine?"

Instantly Senji backed away to set his sights on Vulture's face, and found his expression to be both lust-filled, and serious. It was a genuine offer, no jokes, no taunts, no teasing... Vulture wanted him, just as much as he was wanting Vulture. For a few seconds Senji thought it over, but he quickly came to a decision. "... yours," he choked out in a near-whisper.

Vulture chuckled lowly at Crow's reply, and placed a firm kiss on his dark lips. "Don't forget your clothes," he said smoothly as he moved his hand to the doorknob, then quickly turned it to open the door as he leaned back against it to take his leave to the hallway. Exiting had been an option for him from the moment Crow slammed him against the door, as his actions showed, but something had compelled Vulture to stay and push his luck.

It didn't take Senji long to gather up his belongings, and with clothes in hand rather than on his exposed body he hurriedly left the workout room. "Lead the way," he stated firmly, smirking as he locked eyes with Vulture.

For a passing moment Vulture was shocked to see Crow so eager, but with a grin he replied by nodding and taking the first step forward, knowing that Crow - an almost-naked-and-still-sporting-an-erection Crow - would be trailing right at his heels...

* * *

**A/N: Whoo, that was a long one! Took me weeks to get the first few paragraphs, and only two nights to hit the yaoi bits. Go figure, right? Though, I cannot say that I'm entirely surprised. Things've been very... stressful, as of late, and for a while I was in a very uninspired mood and everything that I wrote down felt like garbage. I went through a few rescripts, multiple versions, and several nights of staring at the screen for hours before going "... fuck this..." until finally I felt that I had a solid enough storyline to get into the yaoi content. (I almost had Vulture go through a near-death crisis, but then I was like "wait a sec... this is fucking Vulture!" so I scrapped it all and had to start over...) **

**But enough rambling! Thanks again for all of the reviews, the favorites, the follows, the views, everything! If you've read this far into the story, you have my gratitude! I'm not entirely sure what gratitude may be worth in today's economy, but still you've got it! **

**Warning: The next chapter will contain highly explicit and graphically detailed yaoi content! (Which essentially means Vulture doing every single thing previously mentioned... Fellatio, annilingus, anal sex, everything!)**


	8. The Night of Pleasure

**A/N: Ah, it's been so long... so horribly horribly long... As usual I give my thanks for the recent reviews and follows and favorites! If anyone is wondering why I've been absent for so long, it's explained on my profile page.**

**And now, without further ado, the much anticipated full-on yaoi chapter! Need I give the 'heads up' pun on this masterpiece of twelve thousand words? I think I shall... *turns the Showmanship button on and enters the spotlight***

**Heads up! WAY up in Senji's case! As this chapter contains extensive detail of yummy yaoi goodness! With a hint of bondage and begging, plenty of taunting and teasing, a generous amount of licking and loving, and one vile Vulture with a captive Crow, this chapter has it all! So grab your drinks, your snacks, and get the tissues ready for nosebleeds - among other possible uses for potential fanboys - because the show is about to begin!**

**(Ah, I'm so eccentric...) *raises the red curtain***

* * *

In a lusty haze Senji had made the decision to accept Vulture's proposal, but as he followed the aforementioned lunatic down the hallway that haze had started to fade. _"Wait... am I..? Did I just give Vulture the okay for...?"_ Senji's thoughtful questions were far from clear as his feet willingly carried him a few steps behind Vulture, but regardless the answer remained the same, _"I'm... going to be the... g-girl..." _

Vulture halted and turned around curiously as he heard Crow's steps falter, but in his near-meditative trance Crow did not stop. With slight amusement Vulture watched as Crow took the first few steps straight past him, but of course, Vulture wasn't going to let him get away. "... Crow."

Senji practically jumped as Vulture's voice pulled him out of the depths of his thoughts, and with a sheepish grin that bordered anxiety he faced the other man... the madman... the madman that would soon be feeling him from the _**inside**_... by fucking him... in the ass... Senji's anxiety was starting to grow.

The look of second-guessing was unmistakable, but even so the middle of the hall was hardly the place to make a scene by discussing their intended plans. Luckily, Vulture had happened to stop right at the door to his cell. "We're here, Crow," he declared with a subtle hint of concern in his tone and a clearly missing smirk, but without waiting for a response he unlocked the door, and motioned for Crow to enter.

This was it... Just a few more steps and Senji would be entering Vulture's domain. Though it took only a matter of seconds to walk through the doorway, for Senji it felt like ages. Every move brought him that much closer, and the reality of the situation settled deeper and deeper in his mind... He was going to have sex. With Vulture.

Quietly Vulture walked in after him, and the door was clicked shut. He was quick to move, but gentle as he pulled Crow into a tender embrace which cause him to jump and drop his belongings to the floor. "I already told you that I've no intention of taking you without consent, Crow," Vulture reminded him with a quiet whisper, and smoothly ran his thin hand through the other male's mess of spiked hair before lightly grasping at the strands, "So why do you seem so afraid?"

"_Was it that obvious..?" _Senji wondered to himself as a chill rolled down his spine, and a blush hit his cheeks from Vulture's sudden show of care. With a distinct frown and a partial glare Senji turned his gaze away, and mumbled just audibly under his breath, "I'm not afraid dammit..! I'm just..."

As silence filled the room Vulture slowly quirked an eyebrow, and intently watched Crow for a while before giving up on receiving a finished statement. "Crow," Vulture called in a deep, flat tone, and angled his body to get a view of the man's face, "Is this really your first time...?"

Sudden tension rendered Senji's entire body stiff as Vulture so blatantly asked if he was still a virgin, and the redness in his cheeks darkened as it spread. "N-no!" Senji replied - though in this case, the 'rep' should be dropped from the word.

"So I was right," Vulture said with a sly smirk as the reaction clearly showed that Crow had lied, "You don't have any experience at all, do you?" He barely managed to withhold the extent of his laughter, but for the sake of Crow's pride Vulture stifled it down to a few subtle chuckles. "Hehehe... You don't have to hide it, Crow," Vulture continued as he tugged on Crow's hair enough to bring his face back into view, and leaned in to firmly press their lips together in a brief but lustful kiss, nibbling lightly on Crow's lips before moving away. "In fact..." Vulture continued in a low rumble, and gave the other man a lurid smirk, "I like it."

Perhaps by instinct, or perhaps even drawn by Vulture's usual allure, Senji submissively returned the short but impassioned kiss, and leaned closer as Vulture pulled away. Always, regardless of his thoughts, Senji's body would be left wanting more, and ever so slowly he continued to move in closer, until he lightly touched Vulture's lips with his own. He couldn't help it, nor could he stop it. Even if his mind still worried, every inch of his body was aching to go forward.

Vulture smirked against the kiss as Crow was quite literally drawn in, and he quickly pushed the kiss further. With his hand still entangled in Crow's dark hair Vulture pulled the taller man down closer and hungrily moved his lips against Crow's, enticing the other's lips to part as he nipped and sucked at them. It was one step away from violent, the way Vulture so fiercely kissed him, but he maintained a balance of both forcefulness and tenderness with each and every subtle move.

With a soft moan Senji gave in to Vulture's guidance, and left his lips apart. The lusty haze had returned, made clear to Senji as he felt his hardening length strain against his tightening shorts. But much to Senji's discontent, rather than taking the chance to dominate his willing mouth Vulture chose instead to move away, once again leaving Senji to ache for more.

"Patience," Vulture remarked with a smirk as he soaked up the deliciously lustful look on Crow's face. It was enough to make Vulture burn with desire, but even so he had to be sure... "I feel I should ask you this, just in case..." Vulture's deep, sonorous voice faded along with his smirk, and after placing a gentle, passing kiss on Crow's lips he continued, "Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this, Crow? I... don't want you to have any regrets."

The lust-filled haze clouding Senji's mind faded in that instant, but it was replaced with something... odd... This was, indeed, Vulture, but for the first time he seemed to be sincerely concerned about his course of actions. He wasn't joking, or taunting, nor was he being arrogant or even a raving madman; he seemed... humble, caring, worried even... and more importantly, the concern revealed that at the very least Vulture's intent _**wasn't**_ just to use him. It meant something, and though _**what**_ it meant was still unclear, it was more than just the raw, carnal allure of sex. After a moment's silence a smirk spread across Senji's still-blushing features, and in reply he leaned in close to Vulture's ear and whispered, "Shut up."

Vulture wasn't even given the chance to respond before Crow initiated the kiss yet again, his lips already parted as if pleading for Vulture to take control. It wasn't a direct yes, but the kiss was quite literally an 'open invitation.' A passing smile crossed Vulture's lips before he put them back to work, and with his grip tightening around the spikes of Crow's hair he quickly dominated the kiss. Eagerly his tongue darted for Crow's mouth, first tracing around the sensitive inner parts of Crow's parted lips before venturing in deeper. Already Vulture could feel, and hear, Crow's responses as their tongues first touched.

From the moment that Vulture took the reigns Senji had yet again fallen under the madman's spell. His entire body felt hotter and hotter with every slight move of Vulture's mouth against Senji's own: the smooth, slick feeling of Vulture's tongue leading his in a twisting, swirling dance, the subtle movements made as Vulture tilted and bobbed his head to keep their lips together as he continued to explore the depths of Senji's taste, and the tugs and pulls of Vulture's hand around Senji's hair that both forced and guided him to move to Vulture's rhythm. In contrast to the growing heat on occasion Vulture's tongue would pass over a ticklish spot within Senji's mouth, which would leave behind small tingles that sent chills to shiver down his spine. Softly between their lips Senji could hear himself moan, and without even realizing it he had started to cling to Vulture's embrace which brought their bodies even closer together. Never before had Vulture kissed him with such intensity, and even _**this**_ was only the beginning...

Precision, that was Vulture's focus, and though Crow was lost in a haze of pleasure Vulture had remained alert. He relished Crow's responses, taking every last shake, clutch, and moan into consideration as he mapped out his taste and hidden sweet spots. It was almost too easy, given Crow's automatic submission and lack of experience, and within minutes Vulture had felt out the best ways to abuse the most sensitive parts of Crow's mouth. But of course, he still had many other things to learn... Satisfied with his oral explorations Vulture began to let off on the kiss, his fervor slowly lessoning to the gentle, continuous movements of his lips against Crow's.

By then Senji was near to panting between his subtle moans, his broad chest just barely heaving from his quickened breath. It was almost a relief when Vulture's kiss began to break from time to time as he repositioned their lips, but even so the prior ferocity was sorely missed... His tongue still wanted to move and pressed against the back of his teeth, and certain places along his gums and the roof of his mouth were still set atingle. When Vulture finally removed his hand from the tangles of his hair Senji had almost feared that the passion would fade entirely, but then an entirely new feeling came over him...

With a satisfied growl rolling in his throat Vulture had wrapped his hands around the lower part of Crow's back, his thin, boney fingertips pressing firmly against strong muscles as he gradually raised them up to the other man's shoulders. He had always felt an attraction towards Crow's flawless body, and though he had often gotten away with a few touches here and there Vulture had never gotten a chance to truly _**appreciate**_ all of it. Now, however, he was free to do exactly as he pleased, and there was no way that he would let such a chance slip away.

The intensity of pleasure had faded away as Vulture's hands continued to travel along every formation of Senji's toned muscles, but even so it remained an enjoyable experience. It was soothing the way Vulture so attentively caressed him, and it gave him a chance to relax and catch his breath while still keeping the thrill and desire between them. After a few passes along his back Vulture's hands wandered to Senji's arms, which set their bodies a little more apart. A blush flushed over Senji's cheeks as his gaze settled on Vulture's face, and saw the intense amount of focus in the madman's eyes as he so attentively appraised the muscular structure.

Vulture grinned widely as he caught Crow's eye, revealing the sharpened teeth from behind his lips as he leaned up to move closer to the somewhat-taller male. "Flex for me," Vulture commanded, the grin never faltering even as Crow gave him a baffled look. Patiently Vulture waited, with his hands still set on either of Crow's arms and his bright turquoise eyes deadset on the other's grey ones, and soon enough Crow came to realize that Vulture was in fact completely serious...

Senji's blush grew slightly darker as he gave in to Vulture's unexpected demand, and though greatly embarrassed he raised his arms and flexed beneath Vulture's hands. Immediately he could feel Vulture getting to work, his slender fingers clasping around Senji's arms and slowly getting a feel for every detail of muscle. Once again he heard Vulture growl with approval, a smirk set over his lips as he eyed the painstakingly crafted form of Senji's body. It was a little strange, having someone so thoroughly inspect him, but with every dextrous twitch of Vulture's fingers the madman seemed more and more enthralled.

Finally Vulture was satisfied with his personal mapping of Crow's strong arms, and with his hands set at the bend of the elbows Vulture guided them back down. "Marvelous," he murmured and leaned down to place a kiss over the other man's heart, but as he lifted his gaze he chuckled darkly in Crow's ear. "I can't wait to feel your body squirm against mine," Vulture whispered with a smirk, and quickly set his hands on Crow's chest to roughly tweak his nipples.

The sudden pinch to such a sensitive place caused Senji to jump back, and the very instant that his feet left the ground Vulture pushed him further backwards. As he landed Senji stumbled, but his downward fall was cut short as his back hit the bed. With a dark blush he sat up and glared at Vulture, "Hey! What the hell was that for!?" One moment Vulture is acting strange and gentle then the next he's throwing Senji onto the bed like a ragdoll! ... not that he should have expected anything less when dealing with a madman, of course, but still...

Vulture smirked at the heated reaction he had earned, and with a nonchalant shrug he ventured closer. "I felt like it," he replied in a humored tone as he bent over the bed, and latched his hands around Crow's wrists, "And now, I feel like doing this."

Senji wasn't even given a chance to respond before two Bloodwire lines were wrapped around his wrists, and within a split second the lines attached themselves to the posts of the bed. With his arms now splayed and bound Senji felt extremely vulnerable, and with a heated blush he pulled at the Bloodwire bonds. "W-wait a sec..! I'm not... I-I'm not ready for this! Vulture!"

The madman grinned as the captured Crow struggled, but silenced him with a tender kiss on the lips. Gradually Crow's movements started to calm, and with a self-satisfied smile Vulture pulled away. "Yes, Crow?" he inquired smoothly as he trailed one of his hands along the other's broad chest until he brushed across his firm nipple.

"A-ahh..!" Senji moaned out softly as Vulture's fingertip started to swirl around the sensitive bud. Again he started to squirm as sudden waves of pleasure bolted through his body, and an ever-darkening blush set in over his cheeks. The tinge of fear still remained, but the haze of lust was quick to overpower it.

"Mmm, it's so hard, Crow. Does it really feel that good?" Vulture taunted and gave him a light pinch. Another moan gave an immediate answer, and with a smirk Vulture started to roll the small peak of flesh between his fingertips.

Every touch, every rush of pleasure made Senji's body ache for more, and as his breath continued to fall in broken gasps only a single word could be formed, "Y-.. yes..."

"Khehehe... If that's the case, then I'm sure you're going to love this," Vulture chuckled deeply, and flashed his tongue over his lips before lowering his mouth onto the other side of Crow's chest. He exhaled hotly through his parted lips, letting Crow feel the heat of his breath before slowly licking up to the untouched nipple. Crow whimpered shakily as Vulture closed his mouth around the sensitive part of his chest, and with a passing smirk Vulture started to lightly suck.

Again Senji cried out, his eyes closing as he threw his head back and moaned. He could feel his body start to squirm as Vulture continued on, his arms pulling at the Bloodwire bindings as his fists clenched at the empty air, and his legs pressing against Vulture's as the madman knelt over him. It was so unfair how Vulture kept him tied, leaving him incapable of tangling his hands into the other man's hair or clinging to him as his body so desperately wanted...

After thoroughly abusing Crow's nipples Vulture finally lifted off of them, and with a smirk he moved his lips up along the other's body to leave a trail of light kisses behind as he closed in on Crow's ear. "You taste divine," Vulture whispered softly, and slowly started to kiss and lick his way back down the center of Crow's chest. Lower and lower Vulture continued, sampling the other man's sweat-laced body in a straight line down the middle until finally coming to the hem of his shorts.

The feeling was simply intoxicating as Vulture made his way down, and every last kiss, lick, and nip brought him closer to what Senji found himself wanting more and more. Finally Vulture had stopped, and with the sudden lack of contact Senji opened his eyes again to see why. Now sitting on his knees between Senji's legs was Vulture, his hand raised to his mouth as he lightly tapped one of his growing fingernails against his teeth.

"_Would it be fair to remove them now..?" _Vulture mused idly as he eyed Crow's shorts, _"I haven't taken off anything of mine... but the thought of having Crow naked on my bed while depriving him of that sense of equality is such a turn-on, and the impact of such a thing will never be as strong as the first time..." _Slowly Vulture lowered his hands to Crow's thighs and dragged them up along the inside, his skin just barely touching the straining fabric that covered Crow's bulging package. It enthralled him, with a rush so strong even the thrill of Carnival Corpse paled in comparison._"Mmm, yes. They are definitely coming off."_

Senji shuddered as Vulture so narrowly grazed the base of his balls, and with a deep blush spreading over both of his cheeks he stared at the madman. In a flash Vulture dropped back down, his head hovering over Senji's groin as his thin hands latched themselves beneath the hem of his shorts at his hips. This was it... just a few more seconds and Vulture would have him completely exposed, vulnerable... and willing.

A low rumble sounded from the back of Vulture's throat as he glanced up at his prey, and after placing a sudden kiss on the other male's dark-skinned naval he slowly pulled the shorts down. He chuckled lowly as Crow obediently raised off the bed enough to let his clothes slide off, and as the fabric was finally pulled clear of Crow's virgin manhood Vulture moved back for a better view. Laying there on his bed, naked with the exception of the DMW collar and the skewed shorts that still clung around his thighs in a very sexy manner, was Crow, his face still bright red from his heavy blush, chest heaving from his quickened breath, body gleaming with a mix of sweat and saliva, his dark messy hair forming to the bedding where his head rested, tones muscles flexed with tension and practically glowing under the florescent lights of the room, and most delectable was his hard, throbbing cock, finally free from its constraints and fully exposed as it rose from just above his velvet sack and stretched over his toned abs. "Mmm, you weren't kidding, Crow," Vulture's deep voice called out in a low whisper, "It _**is **_big."

Senji's lips twitched as if he was ready to comment, but he remained completely silent aside from a slight squeak of his closed throat. All he could do was wait for Vulture to finish his new appraisal, unable to move, unable to speak, and fully exposed.

Vulture smirked as he raised his eyes to match Crow's, and finally he made his next move... Like a stalking predator he crawled over Crow's body, hovering just barely over him to avoid any form of physical contact other than the light brush of his long silver hair as it fluttered across Crow's bare skin. With his left hand set over Crow's bound arm Vulture leaned down, and oh so gently pressed his lips to the captured Crow's. Smiling he pulled back, but just enough to get a focused view of the man's face as his right hand lowered down, and placed the first touch on Crow's virgin cock.

Senji's blush brightened as Vulture's delicate fingers wrapped around the base of his member, and a low moan left his parted lips as Vulture slowly brought his hand up towards the tip. His eyes closed and he swallowed hard as Vulture brought his hand back down, and the moment after he once again felt Vulture's soft lips pressing against his own once more. With a second moan as Vulture repeated the stroking action Senji kissed him back, knowing that there would be no turning back from this moment. The pleasure was more intense than he had ever imagined, and the simple fact that he was tied and bound served to heighten the experience. In this moment, he belonged to Vulture...

At a steady rate Vulture intensified both the kiss and his stroking, starting from the slow and gentle pace and rising to a rough, fiery passion. His tongue had dove between Crow's lips as the elicited moans grew louder and more frequent, and his slender hand was working him faster and harder. It was **more** than a handful - probably three or four hands worth - but even so Vulture made sure to rub and stroke every last stretch of Crow's impressive length as he built up the lustful drive between them. Every pleasured response thrilled him, and the more Crow enjoyed Vulture's ministrations the better he wanted it to feel.

"Vulture..." Senji gruffly groaned between their dancing tongues as his own body started to shift and move beneath the madman, back arching and hips rolling against the bed to drive his cock into Vulture's moving hand. Already his inexperienced body was falling deep into the throws of pleasure, and his actions were barely made conscious as he dropped his head back and luridly moaned, "Aahh..! D-damn this feels good..!"

"_So easy to make him squirm..." _Vulture thought to himself with a smirk as Crow tore away from his lips and cried out in pleasure. Briefly Vulture ran his tongue along his sharpened teeth, and matched the movements of his hand with Crow's erratic thrusting. It was simply exquisite the way Crow had so easily resigned his will to sexual desire, but there was still so much that Vulture had planned... Gently Vulture lowered his meager weight onto the other man, and moved his freed hand to tangle within his dark spiked hair. _"One more kiss," _Vulture thought to himself as he brought Crow closer, and pressed their lips together, _"before I make him mine." _

It was a kiss much unlike the ones prior, and as Vulture maximized the contact between their bodies Senji's thoughts slowly came back into order. Vulture was light, extremely so, as he rested over him, and the usual feel of lust and force had completely vanished from the press of his lips. It was sweet, and mellow... as if it was an action performed not as a prelude of sex and pleasure, but done solely for its own sake. He was completely stunned, to the point that he didn't even attempt to return the new breed of kiss before Vulture had pulled away. It wasn't that he didn't want to - he just didn't quite know how...

Vulture chuckled at the lost and confused look on Crow's face, but the look was erased as Vulture gave the man's cock a gentle stroke. "I hope you're ready, Crow," he called out in a low whisper, "Because the real fun is about to begin." Vulture didn't even bother to let Crow respond before making his next move, and within seconds he had slid down along his body to enter the next phase of his plan.

Senji shivered as Vulture's tongue trailed up along the inside of his thigh, and released a subtle moan as the tip of Vulture's nose brushed against his erection. Nervously Senji lowered his gaze, watching as Vulture slowly dragged his tongue up along his entire length. The sensation was more intense than everything before: warm, wet, smoothly gliding over the hard, sensitive organ. At the very top Vulture lifted his head, and a confident, naughty smile spread over his lips as he matched Senji's eyes. A deep blush formed over Senji's cheeks, and his eyes clenched shut as he turned his head away. "D-d-don't look at me like that!" Senji stammered, "It's d-dirty!"

Vulture shook against him as he laughed, and once his deep chuckle faded he taunted the other man with a smirk, "Did you like it, Crow? Watching as I gave you pleasure? Or are you embarrassed to see how much I enjoy pleasing you?"

"I-I... it's... Sh-shut up!" Senji replied, and once again he could feel Vulture's body move against him as the madman laughed. As always Vulture's voiced thoughts were dead center, and having his wanton feelings so accurately called out only added to Senji's embarrassment.

"Ahh, Crow..." Vulture whispered hotly, intentionally letting his warm breath fall onto the other man's length before lapping once at the head, "I like to be dirty."

Before Senji could respond Vulture took the tip of his cock into his mouth, and as he lightly sucked a gruff moan rumbled from Senji's throat. "N-ngh, ahh..! V-vulture..!" Senji called out as his body started to squirm. The wet heat of the other man's mouth was so overwhelming, and the added suction wrapped a perfectly balanced level of pressure and force around him.

It was such a glorious sound as Crow called out his name, and with a low hum Vulture slowly started to swirl his tongue around the end of the other man's stiff member. Above him he could hear Crow starting to pant as he continued to lick and suck, and it wasn't long before he realized a slight alteration in the positioning of the source of the inciting noise. Vulture smirked as he realized that Crow had faced him, and on a hunch that the man may be looking down at him again Vulture inconspicuously repositioned. Slowly he brought his hand to the base of Crow's cock and started to stroke him in time with his sucking, but as Crow's constant panting grew more erratic Vulture started to rise. With Crow's hard, throbbing erection now held straight into the air Vulture tilted his head up, and locked eyes with his prey as he continued to suck.

Senji froze as he held Vulture's gaze, and even his moans came out in stammers. "A-ah, u-uhn, n-ngh, mm-mmh..!" It was simply too much... Vulture's mouth was working him with so much zeal, as if he was completely addicted to his taste, and the predacious, lecherous look in his eyes was so vibrant..! _"Th-that's... s-so..."_ Senji's thoughts were cut off as Vulture dived lower to take in nearly half of his length, and as the madman slowly dragged his lips back up with their eyes still locked the thought continued, _"H-hot."_ The blush on his heated cheeks darkened once more as the thought crossed his mind, and immediately after he started to reject the very idea. _"N-n-no! I-it isn't hot! This is... Th-this is wrong! I-I can't look, I shouldn't look!" _Senji inwardly yelled as a rather panicked moan passed over his lips, _"B-but it feels so good... I want to wa- N-no! Don't watch, don't watch!"_

For Vulture it was easy to tell that Crow was getting flustered, and it came as no surprise when the other man's eyes closed to break their tied sight. But to the deviant madman, this was not at all acceptable. Vulture gave him one good stroke and a final, swirling lick before halting his movements. With one hand still holding Crow's erection to keep it in the air Vulture rested his chin on the other, and tapped his index finger against his own cheek as he waited for Crow to react.

"_H-he stopped..?" _Senji soon realized, and hesitantly opened his eyes. Looking down he could see everything, his thick, erect length poised and sticking up into the air as a trail of saliva and his own leaked fluids slowly dripped down, and Vulture, crouched down like an stalking predator with a highly _**un**_amused look on his face.

"Look away," Vulture stated with a strict and serious tone, "and I'll stop."

The words dropped on Senji like an iron weight, which was usually something he could easily manage. In this case, however, the sudden heavy feeling left him weak. "Huh?" Senji replied without a moment's thought.

Teasingly Vulture let his lips hover around the head of the man's erection, his eyes once again locked directly with Crow's as he gave a hushed response. "I want you to watch me, _Crow_," Vulture whispered, putting a heavy emphasis on his name, "And I want to watch as you watch me."

Senji swallowed hard, "B-but th-... that's..."

"Dirty?" Vulture finished for him, and smirked as Crow replied with a nod, "Didn't I already tell you? I like to be dirty. But... if you want me to do dirty things to you, then you'll have to get dirty with me."

To Senji, it was unbelievable just how easily Vulture was able to demand such a thing, especially while he hovered so dangerously close to Senji's cock. He could feel the warmth of his breath with every word, and in its absence the cooler air made the residual moisture on his hard length feel icy cold. He wanted to feel the heat of Vulture's mouth around him again, to feel his wet tongue flutter around the delicate head and lap at the expelled fluids, to feel the subtle vibrations as Vulture occasionally hummed and moaned with him... "Alright," Senji responded as he almost shyly turned his head away. It felt so wrong, so shameful to agree to such terms, but his desire for pleasure outmatched those feelings, and with a steadying breath he turned to face the madman. "I'll do it," Senji stated with lacking confidence, "I'll watch you... j-just... D-don't stop again..."

"_Mmm, I'm almost tempted to make him say please,"_ Vulture mused as Crow so blatantly asked him to keep going, _"But there's still plenty of time for that." _Slowly Vulture licked the full length of Crow's cock, and smirked as he watched the deep blush return to the man's dark-skinned cheeks.

Senji bit down on his lower lip as Vulture's tongue was withdrawn, but the loss of contact was brief... "Ahh!" Senji moaned out loudly, shamefully, as Vulture's mouth encompassed him once more, "O-oh yes..!" This time Senji kept his gaze on Vulture, and watched as the madman's lips continued to drop lower, taking in more and more of his throbbing manhood. The pleasure was so intense as Vulture took in the last of his length, so deep that Senji could feel the inner working of his throat. His breath quaked as an unsteady stream of moans left him gasping, but even as his body convulsed in pleasure he managed to keep his eyes open.

"_At this rate it won't be long before he-"_ Vulture had thought to himself, but before he could even finish his prediction it came true. The moan that Crow's orgasm produced was enthralling, and as the man cried out his euphoria Vulture started to suck, drawing out every last drop of his precious seed. As the last of the sticky fluid coursed down his throat Vulture started to pull off, but a sudden whisper put a momentary halt to that action.

"D-don't stop..." Senji panted. He knew that his load had been spent, and he could feel his erection starting to fade, but even so he wanted more.

With Crow's flaccid length still in his mouth Vulture smirked, but despite the other man's desires Vulture parted his lips to release him. "Mm, you'll have to ask a little nicer than that, Crow," he replied with a teasing wink.

"Please..." Senji choked, already feeling ashamed of asking Vulture to continue and feeling even worse about having to say such a word.

A grin formed over Vulture's lips, "Please what?"

"U-uhh... Please don't stop..?" Senji pleaded questioningly, hoping that he gave the right answer. It was almost degrading, the way Vulture pressed him for more, but making it worse was the fact that he was willingly giving in to it...

Vulture chuckled darkly, and rested his chin back on his hand. Begging was dirty, yes, but for the madman it wasn't quite dirty enough. For a moment he eyed Crow's length, and lightly trailed his other hand along the shaft before locking eyes with him once more. "Please don't stop what?" Vulture purred lowly, his blue eyes gleaming with ardor.

Senji's breath hitched in his throat, causing a slight whimper, "Please d-don't stop... u-um..." His voice trailed off... Was it really worth all of this..? To be pressured into begging and even _**specifying**_ his lust-filled desires? A soft moan left Senji's lips as Vulture idly swirled his fingertip around the cum-slicked slit of his erection, and though the feeling was subtle it was just enough to make him fall into submission again. "U-uh... Please don't s-stop... d-doing that thing with your... um... w-with your mouth..." Senji murmured with shame soaking through every stammered word.

It was too good to be true, and for a moment Vulture thought it possible that he was dreaming. He had Crow, naked, on his bed, stuttering, and begging to be pleased - what more could he possibly want? "Alright, Crow," Vulture replied, but interrupted himself with a deep laugh, "Khehehehehh... Alright." Vulture smiled up at him, and ran his tongue over his lips and teeth, "Once more, just for you. And this time... feel free to sit back and enjoy it, hm? You're not required to watch."

With a light blush Senji nodded, and let his head fall back against the bed as his eyes gently closed. He was tired, in a weird way, and his body felt slightly numb after the overwhelming climax of pleasure from earlier. _"So that's what an o-orgasm feels like..." _he thought deeply as his breath finally settled. For so long he had thought the very idea of sex to be filthy, wrong... Maybe it still was - in fact he was certain that this was extremely wrong - but at this moment, he couldn't find it in himself to care. It had felt... amazing..? Marvelous..? Phenomenal? It was a feeling beyond words! And now - after first having to disgrace himself in such a scandalous manner - he was told to simply enjoy it...

Vulture laughed to himself as he saw how relaxed Crow had become, and while the other seemed so content Vulture decided to reset their positioning. Without causing much of a stir Vulture fully removed Crow's shorts, and tossed them carelessly with the rest of the man's clothing. _"Hmm..." _he mentally hummed as his eyes fell on the shimmering lines of Bloodwire, _"He's been so nicely submissive through everything thus far... Perhaps I should reward him with a bit more freedom?"_ Nodding to himself he made his decision, and recalled the Bloodwire to free Crow's arms.

Senji's eyes opened as his arms were moved, no longer held in place and able to limply settle on the bed. "Huh?" he questioned out loud, and shifted to sit upright, "What's going-" His voice faltered, and he swallowed hard as he saw an unexpected sight: Vulture had already discarded his own shirt, and was currently removing his pants. A blush hit his cheeks, and he embarrassedly turned his gaze away as the other man finished disrobing.

Vulture smiled as his prey once again reverted to his easily-flustered nature, and gently placed his hand on Crow's cheek. "You are free to look, Crow. If it doesn't bother you," Vulture stated calmly, though there was a faint trace of anxiety at the end. Compared to Crow he must look absolutely hideous, with pale skin stretched over his clearly displayed bone structure with no muscle or meat to speak of... The first time Crow had seen his disfigured body he instantly turned away, and that was in the middle of a potential life-or-death battle...

"_If it doesn't... bother me?"_ Senji's repeated to himself curiously, but as he realized the intended meaning he was damn near ready to kick himself. Up until now he hadn't thought Vulture capable of fear or insecurity, but for even a faint hint to reveal itself it would have to be serious. "N-no! It's not like that!" Senji spouted and quickly turned to face him, "I-I think you're- ... u-uh..."

Crow's sudden tense reaction had left Vulture greatly intrigued, and as the other male's voice faded out he egged him on with a distinctive "Hmmm..?"

"Er... w-well..." Senji stammered and set his gaze away, then mumbled quietly under his breath, "You're pretty." He could barely believe the final word that came out of his mouth, but it was the exact same description that had crossed his mind on multiple occasions...

This time it was Vulture who was struck speechless, if only for a moment as he soon started to laugh... hysterically. The very idea was absolutely hilarious! Vulture, the anorexic madman, the remorseless slayer, the Devourer of Hearts! Pretty?! Hah! The very idea was absurd!

"H-hey!" Senji shouted as he faced Vulture once again, "It ain't funny! I'm being serious!"

"Haha! Hahahahaa-!" Vulture's laughter abruptly stopped as Crow's yell revealed that this wasn't a bitter joke, and his face slowly calmed as confusion settled in, "... what?"

Senji blushed as Vulture locked eyes with him again, and he nervously ran his hand through his hair. "Well, you know what I mean... I-I like the way you look..." he mumbled under his breath. Sure it had come as a shock to him when he first exposed Vulture's anorexia, but even so, the look suited him... It was bold, far out of the ordinary, and in many ways it was creepy - but, so was Vulture himself. And how could he not see the beauty of everything else..? Those intense turquoise eyes that glistened with a light of their own, the endless flow of his straight silver hair, his features both keen and delicate... Senji had long-since thought him a pretty-boy, but now, after watching all that Vulture had done to please him, he honestly found the man fascinatingly sexy.

"_... Crow..."_ Vulture mentally whispered the name to himself, as he was once again left speechless. For a while he continued to silently stare into the other man's light grey eyes, searching for the faintest trace of a lie or a jest, but Crow was completely sincere... After a few passing moments Vulture's thoughts fell back into line, and with a subtle smile he wrapped his arms around Crow's neck and pulled his head to lay against his boney chest. "You have very strange taste in men," Vulture teased in a dry, matter-of-fact tone, and ran his hand through Crow's hair.

"Shut up," Senji quietly replied, but nuzzled against Vulture's smooth skin as his arms wrapped around the madman. Once again he was thoroughly embarrassed, but at least - in some way or other - Vulture was too. _"That was... awkward..."_

The awkwardness faded as Vulture's usual smirk slowly returned, and after releasing Crow he gruffly replied, "Oh don't worry, I won't have much of a choice once I have you filling my mouth again."

Before Senji could respond to Vulture's crude remark he was gently, but firmly, pushed back down to the bed. It was a much different feeling than before, especially after that weird tender moment, and this time Senji found it easy to relax as Vulture repositioned himself between his spread legs. He closed his eyes as Vulture stroked his length back to life, and moaned quietly as the soft flesh started to swell and harden once more. Briefly he heard Vulture chuckle, and the moment after he could feel the light brush of his silver hair against his skin. Without bothering to open his eyes Senji let his newly freed hands stretch out and wander, until finally they made contact with Vulture's hair. His fingers combed through, and as Vulture engulfed his newly erect member Senji's fist clenched around the silky strands.

It was strangely soothing the way Crow started to cling to him, and Vulture was now glad that he decided to release him. He closed his lips around Crow's impressive length and started to suck, drawing him deeper in and repositioning himself to take in more. With the muscles of his throat fully controlled Vulture worked the hard, throbbing cock, and as he grew more accustomed to the mouthful he slowly bobbed his head.

Immediately Senji started to moan, but the slow pace Vulture had started was near tortuous... His body started to rock, pushing himself deeper and faster between the other man's lips. "Mmh... i-it feels g-good..." Senji called out as Vulture continued to deepthroat him, but the added sensation of thrusting into his mouth made him want even more. Luckily, he now knew exactly how to get what he wanted. "Faster..." Senji murmured, and lowered his gaze only to find Vulture entirely focused on his work. It was a delectable sight as Vulture's head continued to bob, and it seemed almost impossible as so much of his thick, hard member disappeared and reappeared from his mouth at a steady pace. "Ahh-ha... P-please go faster..." Senji pleaded, and tugged lightly at Vulture's hair.

It was exactly what Vulture had wanted, and now that he had broken through Crow's inhibitions it was so much easier to make him beg... He couldn't possibly deny his captive Crow, not when he was behaving so wonderfully. Once Vulture upped the pace he heard a loud moan from above him, and with a low rumble he hummed in satisfaction at the glorious sound.

The soft hum sent a wave of vibrations through Senji's length, and in the sudden rush of pleasure he rocked his hips quicker. "A-again..." he begged, and gasped sharply as Vulture hummed a second time. The combined feelings were so intense... it was getting harder and harder to stay focused...

"_Mmm, so responsive..." _Vulture smirked to himself as he pinned Crow's hips to the bed to take more control. With his lips parted and positioned to shield his sharpened teeth Vulture growled, and raised his positioning to take in the full extent of Crow's length. For a moment his breathing was cut off, but with a few minor adjustments he was able to stabilize his throat to allow air to pass beyond the large cock that filled it. Just a little more and Vulture had managed to press his lips to Crow's groin, fully encompassing the large appendage attached to it.

With an elated moan Senji pushed down on the top of Vulture's head, enabling him to feel the madman's pulse ring through to truly feel the depth of penetration into his mouth. "V-vulture..! Ahha!" Senji called out, his breath turning into haggard panting as his cock was surrounded with moist, hot movement.

It was fulfilling to know that he pleased Crow so well, and luckily it seemed that Crow had already built up a slightly higher tolerance after his first orgasm. Just hearing him moan, and gasp, and all the times that Crow called out his name... Vulture loved it, and even the slightest of reactions drove him to do more. Vulture moaned lowly as he continued working the muscles of his throat, and continued with the deep rumble to send wave after wave of vibrations through the length of Crow's erection. The fluctuations had nearly caused Vulture to choke, but the sudden tightness served to please the other man even further. He had to do more...

Senji's moans grew more fervent as Vulture's throat erratically started to squeeze and release him, and matching the timing Vulture silently panted and bobbed his head. "Ahh..! Mm-mmph! I-I'm gonna... Ah! Vulture!" he cried out loudly as his body started to shudder, and with his head thrown back against the bed he could feel his release spilling so deep in Vulture's mouth. It felt like every part of his body was effected by the rolling waves of pleasure, and all other senses seemed to fade away in his blissful state. By the end even his body became numb, and all that remained was a strong feeling of satisfaction and completion.

Once Crow's release met its end Vulture slowly moved off of him, and softly panted as his throat adapted to the sudden emptiness. With a smirk he swallowed and licked his lips clean, then set his attention back to Crow. He looked completely out of it, and didn't even respond when Vulture started to laugh at his enraptured condition, "Khehe, well don't you look content, Crow. ... Crow?" Curiously Vulture arched an eyebrow, and tilted his head as he waited. A few seconds ticked by, and aside from Crow's heavy breathing he remained silent. _"Have I worn him out already?"_ Vulture pondered, and moved a bit closer to get a better look, _"Hmm... his eyes are still open at least... Perhaps the orgasm was too intense?" _With an audible scoff Vulture shook his head, _"Nonsense! There's no such thing as an orgasm that's too intense! Besides... he looks happy..."_ A smile pulled at Vulture's lips with the thought, but even with Crow satisfied there was still more on the agenda...

Senji remained completely oblivious as Vulture repositioned them both, but as an unfamiliar new feeling crept into him he slowly regained his awareness. He could feel that his legs had been elevated and hooked around something, and he easily guessed that the pressure holding his hips had to be Vulture's hands, but what was the third feeling..? It was warm, moist, and felt a little bit... squeezed? Gradually Senji's eyes came into focus, but the sight he beheld was by far the most shocking yet. His legs had been raised alright, and were set over Vulture's shoulder as the madman held his hips up into the air, leaving Senji's body curled back at a rough 90 degree angle with his worn, fluid-coated cock dangling down towards his chest. When had he been moved..? _How_ had he been moved? And _**what**_ was the warm moisture doing on his... no, _**in his**_ ass!?

So casually Vulture had repositioned Crow and moved along with his plans, but as he heard a sudden panicked gasp he halted. His eyes opened to see a near-horrified look on Crow's face, and very slowly Vulture pulled the length of his tongue from the man's tightened entrance. "You know this is so much easier when you relax," Vulture remarked idly and licked over his lips.

"When did you-! Wh-what are you-? Why..? How can you be so calm!?" Senji yelled, and shuddered at the sight of Vulture's tongue... which was just _**inside**_ him...

"I enjoy this," Vulture answered plainly, and ran his tongue over Crow's entrance with a content sigh, "Mmm or perhaps I should specify... I enjoy doing this _**to you**_."

Senji blushed darkly as he watched Vulture's head lower, and shivered as he felt the press of the man's tongue in such a personal place. "But... why?"

The madman smirked at the question, "Haven't we been over this before? Or did the orgasms leave your brain rattled?" With zeal Vulture swirled his tongue around the tight ring of Crow's anus, and briefly pressed it inside before sliding out and peering down at him. "I like to be dirty," Vulture answered in a sultry, deep rumble, and chuckled at Crow's shocked face before continuing in a nonchalant tone, "I'm also quite certain that you wouldn't want my regrown talons prodding at your insides for that matter, so unless you want me to go out and purchase a few toys to loosen you up I advise that you lay back and enjoy it while I finish."

At the mention of 'toys' Senji silenced, and rested his head back against the bed with an uncomfortable blush. It was extremely awkward, given the position Vulture held him in with his ass in the air, but as he thought about it he figured it better than any alternatives... _"At least I'm not lying facedown like a prison bitch," _Senji mused, calmer until he once again felt Vulture's tongue press into him. He could feel his body clench around the moist muscle, and for a while Vulture's progression slowed. It was then that Senji had a surprising revelation, and his blush darkened. "It actually feels... kinda good..." he unintentionally said out loud and closed his eyes. Vulture's face radiated with warmth, his flowing hair was brushing lightly against his back and his raised thighs, his hot breath fell over his skin in a slow and steady rhythm, and his moist tongue slipped in and out of his body so smoothly as it gradually worked the flesh to part.

Vulture smirked as Crow started to relax again, and as the tightness faded he pressed his tongue deeper inside. Before long his captive Crow started to softly moan, and he could feel an occasional twinge of tension building in the strong legs that were placed around his shoulders. Whether it was pain or pleasure Vulture couldn't be sure, but there wasn't a single protest to be heard as his tongue pushed and swirled within Crow's willing body. Finally Vulture gauged him to be loosened up and moist enough, and with a final fleeting lick over the outer ring he lowered Crow's bottom half back to the bed. A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips as Crow angled his body to remain exposed, allowing Vulture to see the fruit of his labors. Faintly still Crow was blushing, with traces of white still leaking from his semi-hardened length while a mix of spit and sweat coated the rest of him, and a small trail of saliva drizzled from his prepared back entrance. Even without being touched Vulture was fully aroused, and after making a few minor adjustments to Crow's positioning he readied himself to enter.

Senji's blush grew dark once more as he felt something new press against the hole, something hot, throbbing, and extremely hard. "V-vulture..." he stuttered nervously, and flinched as the madman grasped his hips to lift them higher. Senji swallowed hard, but despite his sudden nervousness he settled his thighs loosely against Vulture's slender waist.

It was easy for Vulture to sense Crow's anxiety, and he chuckled deeply as his hands lowered to get a grasp on the other man's ass. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle," the madman called to him with a grin, "_**this**_ time."

"_This time..?" _Senji repeated the words to himself, and his breath faltered... For there to be a specific 'this time,' there would have to be other times as well. Would he really want to do this again..? Did he even want it now? He was in such a shameful position... his legs and his hips raised, with another man's dick just a hair's width away from _**entering**_ him, and perhaps most shameful of all was the fact that he _**enjoyed**_ everything that Vulture had done to get to this point..! How long had it even been since they started..? An hour, or maybe two? ... so much effort Vulture had put into everything, without even asking him to lift a finger... Everything Vulture had done was for him, and _**now**_ he was having second thoughts..? _"Shameful __**and**__ selfish,"_Senji scolded himself, and after his few seconds of rampant thoughts passed he set his sights on Vulture yet again. "A-alright..." he whispered, blushing profusely, "I'm ready."

With a subtle smirk Vulture pushed his way inside, and quietly moaned as Crow's entrance tightened around the intrusion. He stalled as Crow gasped sharply and turned his head away with his teeth clenched, and only once the tightness faded did Vulture start to slowly press in further. Progression was slow as Crow showed signs of pain again and again, but after a few minutes of gentle coaxing Vulture had driven his entire length into the other man's body. "Mmm, you're so tight, Crow..." Vulture murmured as he started to just barely move within him.

Senji flinched at the tiniest of movements, but Vulture remained gentle as he repeated the calm, controlled thrusting. Over the years Senji's pain tolerance had been greatly increased, but naturally his insides had remained untouched... That first push was so shockingly painful that he had almost wanted it to stop then and there, but once Vulture paused it had felt... awkward still, but nowhere near as painful and.. maybe even a bit pleasant? Now, what seemed to him like hours later though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, it was starting to feel... good. The initial pain had gradually faded away as his body adjusted, leaving a dull sensation of pleasure in its place as Vulture started to move.

With the tension left it became much easier for Vulture to thrust, and at a slow and steady rate his pace increased. It was hard, very hard, to keep his movements so slow and gentle, but for Crow it was more than worth the personal torture. Just to be this close, to be allowed to touch him, to kiss him, to _**please**_ him... it was amazing. For a while now Crow had been his secret obsession, ever since their first time battling on stage, and now - _**finally**_ - Crow was his.

It wasn't long before the last of the pain was eased away by Vulture's continuous rhythm. Senji had adapted to the hard length that penetrated into him, and the discomfort soon gave way to a profound pleasure. Gruffly Senji moaned, and the sound triggered Vulture to move a little faster. But the rhythm was lost, and Vulture's thrusts seemed a little sporadic as they landed at different intervals. At first it struck him as being a bit odd, but a sudden intense wave of pleasure that coursed through Senji's body quickly made him realize what was going on. Vulture had been searching for something specific, and he had just found it. Senji's legs wrapped tighter around the other man's waist as a heavy moan escaped him, and mechanical instinct took over as he rocked and moved his body against Vulture's to repeat the feeling.

The madman grinned as his prey started to squirm, and he disguised his subtle moan with a dark chuckle, "Mmmhmhmhmm... I see you're starting to like it, Crow." He smirked as the other male froze, but to keep up with their shared pleasure Vulture continued to move, thrusting in hard but slow and making sure to hit that same spot every time. With keen and eager eyes he watched as Crow responded to the concentrated pleasure, the way his lips parted as soundless gasps and moans strained his throat, the way his hands had clenched into fists around the bedding beneath him, how his eyes were held shut as his head pressed back against the mattress, how his back arched to press their bodies closer together and the way his chest heaved with his haggard breath... Could he be any sexier?

"V-vulture..." Senji whispered as another deep thrust ravaged his body with pleasure. Just saying the name made his heart beat faster, and it mentally affirmed the source of the blissful feeling. A sharp, cracked moan followed after with the next thrust, but despite the pleasure the pace was far too slow... He opened his eyes, and dared to lean up for a better view of the stiff mass that was being driven in and out of him. It brought a dark blush to his cheeks, and slowly he raised his gaze along Vulture's slender form until he finally locked eyes with the other man. "Faster," Senji said in an almost-commanding way, but with desperation in his tone.

Vulture smirked as Crow dared to give him an order, but a sudden _**hard**_ thrust left the other male quivering. "Now is that any way to ask for something?" Vulture teased as he resumed his previous rhythm, then slowed down even further.

In frustration Senji growled as Vulture denied him, especially after giving him that one good dead-center strike. "Don't care," he retorted hoarsely, and moved his hips to grind against Vulture's body, "I-I want it."

A deviant spark lit in the madman's eyes, and he altered their position to lean close to Crow's ear. "Oh..?" Vulture softly whispered as he landed another deep, penetrating thrust, "So you want me to ravage your body, Crow?"

"Nng-haahh..! Y-yes..." Senji answered with a breathless moan as his arms wrapped around the other man.

With a content hum Vulture started to increase his pace, and he flicked his tongue over Crow's ear before continuing with a low, sensuous tone, "Do you want to hear our skin slap together, too?"

The sudden lick sent a chill down Senji's neck, and he could feel the heat of Vulture's breath. With a shaky moan he rocked his body in time with Vulture's quickened thrusts, but despite the increased pace the amount of force was still not enough. "A-ahh..." Senji called out softly as he pressed his cheek to Vulture's and answered, "Yes... p-please, Vulture..."

Crow's response was music to Vulture's ears - or in this case it was more like an eargasm. With a satisfied smirk Vulture set his weight on his left hand, and raised himself to slam into Crow's body with a loud smack. He could feel the other male's body tense at the impact, his insides throbbing, his firm cheeks clenching, strong arms clinging tightly while his nails raked over Vulture's skin. It all felt so _**good**_... With a hushed moan Vulture repeated the hard thrust into Crow's tight ass, and he smirked as the other man cried out in pain and pleasure beneath him. Again and again Vulture pounded into him, filling the room with Crow's blissful cries and the sharp crack of skin hitting skin. _"Mmm, he's been such a good boy..." _Vulture thought to himself, _"I should reward him."_ With a smirk he set his right hand on Crow's hip, and slowly moved it in the direction of the man's erection in time with his next hard thrust. "Do you want me to touch you?" the madman offered in an all-too-simple voice.

Senji moaned loudly as Vulture stroked his skin in a motion parallel to his throbbing hard cock, "H-haah! Yes!" His answer was given immediately, and so was the reward. As Vulture pressed into his body once more the madman's thin fingers wrapped around the base of Senji's length, and stroked him in time with every thrust. He moaned loudly as their flesh clapped together, with Vulture's entire length penetrating into the depths of his body to the point that Senji could feel the other man's soft sack press against his cheeks, and as Vulture firmly stroked his cock he dug his nails deeper into the madman's back. Another cracked moan rang out, but as Senji called his name once more there was only a hoarse cry to be heard.

Vulture stifled a moan as Crow's fingernails broke the skin by placing a firm kiss on the other man's neck, but as a dry hiss reached his ears after the next distinctive _slap_ he moved his lips away. A few more thrusts, and the voiceless sounds that creaked in Crow's throat made it crystal clear that his vocalizations had taken their toll. It was a triumph in Vulture's opinion, and with a smirk he lifted up to view his silenced prey. With every thrust he made Crow's body would respond, and though his lips moved and parted there was nothing to be heard over the sounds of skin on skin. "It looks as though I've rendered you speechless," Vulture teased with a brief, low laugh, and placed a kiss on the man's cheek as he thrust in once more, "But, I do find silence distasteful... Tell me, Crow... how would you like to hear me moan instead?"

Senji's eyes went wide as he stared at the madman in shock. The closest thing to a moan that Vulture did was the occasional hum or somewhat-deeper-than-normal breath..! But now he was... he was _**offering**_ to be heard? Senji's sore voice croaked out as Vulture's cock was driven in again, and he panted dryly as he clung tighter to the other male. In lieu of a proper answer Senji nodded profusely, until the next dead-center thrust made his back arch and his head fall back.

"I thought you might," Vulture replied, and chuckled deeply, "But, there's one thing that I want from you too..." He waited for Crow's eyes to open again, and lessened the impact of his thrusts and stroking to let the man focus and fully comprehend his terms, "I want you to kiss you again, Crow... and I want you to taste yourself on my tongue as I do so."

"_T-taste..!?" _Senji repeated in his thoughts. The things that Vulture had actually _**done**_ with his tongue..! The places he had licked, the _**fluids**_ that had been on it..! Senji's faint blush darkened as the images raced through his mind, of Vulture sucking on his cock and swirling his tongue around spurts of precum, of those final moments when he came in Vulture's mouth, and that shocking moment when he felt Vulture's tongue flicking in and out of his ass! And Vulture... wanted him to _**taste**_ all of that..!? Was it... was it worth it? He considered his own noises for a moment: the gasps, the moans, the cries, at times he was practically _**screaming**_..! Vulture seemed to love every bit of it, and yet the madman himself had remained mute in comparison... _"A-all I've gotta do is let him kiss me..." _he thought to himself, _"It can't taste any worse than candy, right? So... maybe..."_

Vulture remained patient as he gave Crow the chance to think things over, keeping his thrusts to a minimum as he maintained a slow and steady pace. Finally - after a good fifteen seconds or so - Crow locked eyes with him again, and responded with a single nod. A smirk spread across Vulture's lips and he slowly leaned down, but as the tip of his nose brushed against Crow's he paused. He had done so well to hold onto his composure, but after rendering Crow soundless Vulture had felt it perfectly fine to make a bit of noise himself; so long as his voice remains in tact he still wins, and to Vulture winning was everything... But even so there was no point in lowering his guard without some sort of reward, even one as simple as a kiss. Though... the thought of locking lips while fucking him senseless was so deeply satisfying... and of course the fact that Crow would be tasting his own essence made the idea all the more delectable...

Senji froze as Vulture's lips hovered just over his own, but as the madman's slender fingertips captured his chin with a firm grip he started to squirm. There was no turning back, no escape as Vulture closed the final distance between their lips for the bargained kiss. Senji's closed lips quivered against Vulture's at first contact, but as the other man's tongue prodded at the soft flesh he slowly parted them.

A passing smirk twitched at the corners of Vulture's lips, and with a shallow groan he pressed his tongue into Crow's not-so-willing mouth. He started slow, daring only to pass his tongue across Crow's until he fell into a more comfortable submission. A few brushing touches of tongue on tongue, a few slow, gentle thrusts, and both men began to feel the effects of the added intimacy. Crow's eyes had closed, and his strong, muscled body felt yielding, even delicate, beneath Vulture's slender frame. But, regardless of how enjoyable this feeling may have been, it wasn't a part of the plan - he was supposed to _**ravage**_ Crow, not make love to him. With a grin Vulture pulled away from the kiss, and moved his hand from Crow's chin to his matted hair while the other slowly rose along the length of his swollen cock. In perfect synch Vulture's grips tightened, and his once-tender thrusting grew more and more forceful. With a rapid pace set Vulture loudly moaned, and pressed his lips to Crow's once more.

The deep, resonating cry echoed in Senji's mind, and as he moved in time with Vulture's body the elated sounds continued. Soundlessly Senji panted as he was mercilessly overtaken by the madman's entire being - his vision a blur of movement as Vulture crashed into him; his ears ringing with the _slap_ of skin on skin and Vulture's low, haggard panting and moaning; the scent of sweat and lust permeating his sense of smell; the taste of Vulture's mouth, tainted by Senji's own essence, coated his tongue as their fervent kiss continued; but the strongest sensation remained his sense of touch... The impact where their flesh met, the friction burning blissfully through his insides, the tangled pulls in his hair, the rough strokes against his throbbing cock, the press of their ever-rejoining lips and the rushes of air between them with every moan and breath, the feather-light brush of Vulture's long hair ghosting over various patches of his skin, and the feeling of his own limbs wrapped tightly, desperately, around the other man as they moved... it was as if every inch of his body was being touched, controlled, _**taken**_ by Vulture.

But the feeling wasn't one-sided... Sure Vulture was the one on top and in charge, but after their deal was made Vulture was giving it his all - or rather, giving _**Crow**_ his all. With his exuberant vocalizations given freely the madman had lost his sense of manipulation and self-control, which, in such a place as Deadman Wonderland, was something he had never expected to do. Dominating the man who plagued his thoughts was no longer a priority, but after submitting to pleasure Vulture could only last so long. "Haah... haah... a-aah, Crow..!" he called out through his rough, haggard breaths, "Mm-mgh! You feel so- haa-ahh! - so good... I can't hold on any longer..!" A few more thrusts, and with a final moan of "Crow!" Vulture came, spilling his hot, sticky seed into Crow's body.

Tightly Vulture clung to Senji as he aggressively rode out his orgasm, with a passionate, forceful kiss and sharp talons raking through Senji's scalp while he roughly rubbed his massive length. The enhanced intensity added to the spray of warmth and the calling of his name brought Senji to climax shortly after, his body's convulsions matching the time of Vulture's thrusts as they moved together in ecstacy.

Vulture's elation was the first to fade away, and as his senses were restored a satisfied smirk settled on his lips. For a few moments Crow continued to pant and silently moan beneath him, as his insides clenched around Vulture's length in rhythmic pulses, and a few spurts of cum had seeped into Vulture's hand. _"Khehe... I'm surprised there was any left," _the madman thought to himself, amused, and idly licked his lips as he recalled the other man's taste. Finally Crow's orgasm subsided, and Vulture slowly pulled out of him. "So, Crow," he called out sarcastically, "How was your first time?" Only heavy breathing answered him. "... Crow?" Vulture called out again, and with a partial pout he prodded at the other's still-blushing cheek with his clean hand. _"He's... asleep?" _Vulture realized as a subtle snore answered him, _"I guess it was all too much for him." _With a smile the madman yawned, and carefully rose from the bed. In silence he rummaged through the bedside table for some clean napkins to wipe away the sticky mess that clung to both his and Crow's body, and only once he was finished did Vulture lie down at Crow's side. _"I wonder how mad he would be if I held him..?" _he mused with a smirk, and imagined a very upset Crow kicking him out of his own bed in the morning, _"Definitely worth the risk." _Stealthily Vulture moved closer, and pulled the blankets over their bodies before carefully wrapping his arms around his sleeping captive. _"Just a little closer..."_ he mentally whispered as he moved Crow's head onto his chest, and contently ran his fingers through the other man's hair, _"Perfect..._" Vulture was tired, without a doubt, but even so he fought the need to sleep for as long as he could... He didn't want it to end, and there was no way to know just how Crow would react once he awakened... After all the man was rather against sexual acts - when his mind wasn't clouded by lust due to Vulture's teasing, at least. Though, he certainly seemed to enjoy it... most of the time anyway. The madman's subtle smirk faltered, and worry settled in his eyes as he watched his captive Crow sleep. Slowly Vulture leaned down, and pressed his lips to Crow's in a tender kiss. He smiled slightly as his kiss was returned, but pulled away to close his eyes and rest his forehead against the other male's. What could he say..? What string of words could he possibly use to convey his feelings without it sounding like a lie? Vulture was clinically insane, after all, and twisted, remorseless, dangerous, violent, manipulative, hardly the type of man who could say 'I love you' without earning a look of disbelief... As the words clicked in his mind Vulture smiled, and moved closer to Crow's ear to softly whisper them as he drifted to sleep.

"You mean the world to me..."

* * *

**A/N: So many things I wish to comment on about this chapter... TOO many, actually, which is why I'm not gonna do it. But, I will say this! That *points to the text above* shall not be the only full-on sex chapter of the story. So feel free to mention what was liked and - if possible - not liked about this one, and I'll take it all into consideration for future scenes! Just like Vulture, I aim to please! ... in the form of writing, in this particular case... *clears throat***


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